Harry Slithers in: Goblet of Fire
by Dragonson
Summary: Sirius is free. Now he must build a new life as a free man. Harry has an idea that could make them all lots of money but first there is the Quidditch World Cup. While there the Dark Mark, Voldemort's symbol, appears and chaos ensues. Then Quidditch gets cancelled at Hogwarts because of the Triwizard Tournament. What is going to happen now? Harry's fourth year in Slytherin.
1. 1 Home with the Dursleys

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 1: Home with the Dursleys**

Harry's return to Privet Drive had been its usual, uneventful self. The Dursleys still treated him badly but they knew they couldn't do anything to stop him communicating with other witches and wizards because, if they did, Mrs. Davis or Mrs. Malfoy would visit them. None of the Dursleys ever wanted to see either woman again, especially Mrs. Malfoy whose presence invariably resulted in them fearing for their lives.

They had, however, come up with a new form of revenge that they had sprung on Harry on his first day back. Dudley had returned from Smelting's with a note from the school nurse insisting he go on a diet. After many complaints and tantrums from Dudley the new regime was in place – for all of them, including Harry. This had come as a shock to him, he was already underfed but now he was getting even less than before and he knew his health would suffer if he didn't do something.

A quick mirror call to Sirius had given him the opportunity to start putting right this situation. The second day of the holidays had seen an owl arrive carrying a loaf of bread and some butter. A second owl had arrived soon after carrying a pack of sliced ham and a supply of muesli bars and sweets and, the following day, another owl had arrived carrying a large box of biscuits. Sirius said he would a arriving on the 7th of July to review the situation, something Harry had already decided not to mention to the Dursleys who still thought Sirius was an escaped murderer.

Sirius hadn't mentioned a time so Harry wasn't disappointed that he didn't arrive until early evening, just as Petunia was placing their evening meal, a limp looking salad, on the table.

"Who the hell would come visiting at this time?" Vernon growled.

"I'll get it," Harry said before anyone else could get up. He hurried to the front door and opened it, letting Sirius into the house.

"Who is it, boy?" Vernon called from the kitchen.

"My godfather," Harry replied. "Come this way, Sirius," he then said in a quieter voice. Harry led Sirius to the kitchen.

When Sirius entered Vernon jumped up with a shout and Petunia shrieked, "You, you're a murderer." Dudley looked shocked at his parents' reactions.

"No I'm not," Sirius replied sounding amused. "Harry obviously didn't tell you I was cleared of all charges at my trial in February."

"It must have slipped my mind," Harry said, trying to hide his amusement.

"Go to your room," Vernon bellowed then, after looking at Sirius, he added "after you've eaten."

"May I take it with me?" Harry asked. "That way Sirius won't have to join us."

"Good idea. Go," Vernon replied. Petunia and Dudley seemed too shocked to speak.

Harry took his dinner to his room. While he was eating he talked to Sirius about different things. A short time into the conversation Sirius said, "I don't think I will be able to get my old job back. Being in Azkaban for 12 years has changed me and I no longer have the temperament to be an Auror. I will stay in the job until after the Quidditch World Cup but then I'll be unemployed."

"What do you think you will do?" Harry asked.

"I received a significant pay-out for wrongful imprisonment so I have no shortage of money. I think I'll just sit back and enjoy my freedom; for a while at least."

"Have you thought about investing your money in some project? Maybe you could become a financier for some new project."

"There isn't much room for that sort of thing in the wizarding world," Sirius replied. "I suppose I could try looking for investments in the muggle world. I'm not familiar with it, though."

"How did you create those magic mirrors?"

"Your father and I decided we needed some way to keep in touch whenever we had separate detentions," Sirius said with a laugh that sounded like a bark. "It took us a while but eventually we sorted it out. Why do you ask?"

"The muggles have something called a mobile phone. It is a new piece of technology which I think is going to become very popular in the future and these magic mirrors look like something similar. I was wondering if it was possible to modify them so you could talk to different people by saying a different name. The muggles use numbers for that so it might be possible," Harry explained.

Sirius thought about it while Harry finished eating. Eventually he said, "It might be worth looking into. I'll talk to Remus when I get back. Maybe he can help me with the development."

"Is that Professor Lupin?" Harry asked.

"Yes. He's staying with me at my house in London at the moment. He doesn't have a job any more so he has no income and I enjoy having some human company – most of the time."

The rest of the evening had been spent talking about different matters. Sirius had promised to send an owl every second day with supplements for Harry's diet which he now saw was quite sparse and had promised to visit again on the 13th with subsequent visits on the 19th; 25th and on Harry's birthday, the 31st when he would collect Harry for his promised birthday party. Before leaving Sirius told the Dursleys the days he would be visiting and about the plan to remove Harry on his birthday and reminded them not to mistreat Harry in the meantime.

Sirius' food parcels continued to arrive as scheduled. Harry appreciated them but the Dursleys soon noticed he was getting a lot of owls. He made very sure not to let the Dursley's know what they were carrying, however, simply passing them off as regular correspondence. Occasionally he received owls from other people, notably Tracey, and it was these owls that he allowed the Dursley's to check.

Sirius turned up as scheduled on the 13th, bringing with him a note from Remus enquiring about Harry's "mobile phone" idea. Remus couldn't come in person because the full moon was only a few days away. Dudley already owned a mobile phone and Harry was able to show Sirius how bulky they were compared to the mirrors. Dudley didn't let Harry or Sirius touch it and neither of them pushed the issue but it did allow Sirius to see it.

"Our mirrors are already smaller than that," Sirius said after seeing it.

"Do you think it would be possible to adapt them so they could be connected to several different mirrors, just like Dudley's phone can be used to call many different numbers?" Harry asked.

"It is possible. The only question is how complex is it going to be."

"Wouldn't it be basically similar to the Floo network, though? And the same group that controls the Floo network could be put in charge of the mirror network. That is what muggles do with their telephones and mobile phones."

"That makes sense," Sirius replied. "I'll talk to my contacts at the Ministry and see what they think."

"I would prefer that as few people as necessary know about the idea at the moment," Harry cautioned. "Just in case somebody tries to steal the idea."

Sirius thought for a moment before saying, "Alright. I will only tell a couple of people; those you can actually help with the development. Arthur Weasley has an interest in muggle things and I'll talk to Madam Bones since she is the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. If anyone does try to steal the idea she will be a valuable ally."

"That should solve any problems," Harry replied. "I'll leave it in your hands, then."

Sirius reminded Vernon and Petunia he would back in a few days but added that he was happy with how Harry was being treated at the moment. After thanking Dudley for letting see the mobile phone (Dudley was surprised Sirius had spoken to him in such a friendly, polite manner) Sirius said good bye and disapparated leaving Harry to continue with what he had been doing.

The next two occasions Sirius visited Harry followed the now established routine. Harry was still receiving owls from several friends including one old, tired looking owl that almost passed out when it had delivered its letter. Harry didn't recognise the owl but, after reading the letter, realised it had been sent by Arthur Weasley. Harry used Hedwig to carry his reply explaining he would allow the Weasley's owl to return after it had recovered.

Mr. Weasley's letter said he was fascinated with the idea and would like to talk about it in person. He said he expected to be able to get tickets to the Quidditch World Cup final and ask if Harry would like to join him as his guest. Harry's reply thanked him but said Sirius had already received enough tickets for Harry and a few friends to attend anyway.

Harry's birthday saw him get out of bed at the usual time and make his way down to the kitchen. He was not surprised to find nobody had bothered to prepare anything for breakfast so he set about doing it himself. When he finished and the Dursleys had all arrived at the table he told them Sirius would arriving at 11am before heading back to his room leaving Petunia to do the dishes. Back in his room he carefully checked everything was safely in his trunk and ate the last of the food Sirius had sent him before tidying up.

At 11 o'clock Harry heard a motorcycle pull up out the front of the Dursley's house and, looking out the window, he saw Sirius step off an enormous motorcycle with a sidecar attached. He ran down the stairs and opened the door as soon as Sirius knocked. "Morning Sirius. Is that your motorbike?"

"Happy birthday, Harry, and yes it's mine. Hagrid has been looking after it for me ever since…well, he has had it for nearly 13 years," Sirius finished. Harry realised what he meant.

"Whose piece of junk is that?" Vernon demanded a moment later. When he reached the hall and saw Sirius he paled slightly before disappearing back into the kitchen. Harry and Sirius both laughed.

"My trunk is upstairs," Harry said as he invited Sirius into the house. They climbed the stairs and entered Harry's room where they picked up the trunk and carried it out the front door before placing it in the sidecar. Sirius returned to the room to pick up Hedwig's cage and Harry's broom while Harry went to say goodbye to the Dursleys, getting only grunted replies in return. That done he returned to the motorbike and donned the helmet Sirius gave him before climbing into the sidecar with his trunk and his other belongings.

Despite having to share the sidecar with is trunk Harry still had enough room to sit comfortably and enjoy the trip. Along the way he asked why muggles didn't seem to notice their passage.

"Three things," Sirius replied. "Firstly, a space adjusting relativity charm that allows the vehicle to 'sense' the amount of available space and adjust its own dimensions to fit. Secondly, a disillusionment charm meaning that muggles cannot see the bike and thirdly, a muffling charm that ensures only people who know of the bikes existence or who know the person riding it can hear it coming. The enchantments are essentially the same as those on the Knight Bus but modified for a smaller vehicle."

Harry nodded. "That makes a lot more sense now. I wondered why muggles didn't seem to notice the Knight Bus either. Thanks, Sirius."

After a journey less than an hour Sirius pulled into a cul-de-sac in London. Harry had seen the sign at the end which said Grimmauld Place and realised this must be where Sirius lived. A moment later Sirius confirmed this. "Harry, my house is protected by a Fidelius charm and I am the secret keeper. Welcome to no. 12, Grimmauld Place, London."


	2. 2 An Unexpected Guest

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 2: An Unexpected Guest and a Mystery Object**

As soon as Sirius finished speaking the houses at 11 and 13 started moving apart and a new house seemingly appeared out of the ground between them. Harry watched, fascinated and, after the house was fully visible, he turned to see Sirius laughing at his reaction. "That is what happens the first time a person is shown the effects of a Fidelius charm, and your reaction was fairly typical, too."

"So muggles can't see it, I take it?" Harry asked.

"Muggles, or indeed anybody who doesn't know it's here would have no way of finding it," Sirius explained. "Even wizards who know the house exists but aren't covered by the Fidelius charm are unable to find the place no matter how hard they try."

"So this would be an excellent hiding place no matter what," Harry replied, sounding pleased.

"What would you be hiding from?" Sirius asked.

"Anybody who comes looking for me and who I don't want to find me."

"We'll have to see about that. Right, come in. there are a few people I would like you to meet who might be able to help with this mobile phone idea of yours."

They entered the house. "Don't talk too loudly in the hallway here," Sirius explained. "That curtain there hides a portrait of my mother. If you make too much noise her portrait will react and the language she would use would probably embarrass a sailor." Harry was surprised to hear Sirius use a muggle expression but he understood the meaning. Sirius led Harry to the kitchen where they found Professor Lupin, a young pink haired woman Harry didn't know and, surprisingly, Draco Malfoy.

"Draco," Harry said in a surprised voice.

"Hello, Harry," Draco replied. "Uncle Sirius was kind enough to let me stay here for a couple of weeks. Thank you for setting up that meeting I had with him in February, by the way."

"Happy birthday, Harry," Lupin said.

"Wotcher, Harry, I'm Tonks; Sirius' niece and Draco's cousin," said the pink haired witch.

"Tonks is an auror trainee," Sirius explained. "We were working together in the training program before it was decided I wouldn't be able to adapt to the regime again. By the way, her first name is Nymphadora."

"Don't you dare call be Nymphadora, Black," Tonks snapped angrily. Draco laughed, earning a glare from her.

"I never grow tired of that," Draco said. Apparently this was not the first time it had happened.

"Anyway," Sirius said over the babble, "make yourself at home, Harry. I have a few more people to bring along for your party.

Harry sat at the kitchen table, accepting a Butterbeer from Professor Lupin. Harry noticed Draco and Lupin were sitting at opposite ends of the table and that they never made eye contact.

"So, Harry," Draco began, "Sirius said you had come up with an idea that could make people a lot of money, but you needed development capital to get started."

"Don't talk business, Draco," Tonks interrupted. "It's Harry's birthday. Talk about these new mirror phones shouldn't begin until tomorrow."

"There is no such time as a bad time to talk money," Draco replied.

"I agree with Dora," Lupin said. "Today we relax and enjoy ourselves; tomorrow we talk business."

"I don't mind explaining about the phones," Harry said. "I am curious why Sirius chose to tell you about them, though. I did ask him to keep quiet about it."

"Harry, you can trust everybody in this room to keep it a secret," Lupin said. "Outside of this room at the moment there are only four people who know the mirrors even exist, Sirius, Madam Bones, Arthur Weasley and the rat. He won't tell anyone because he doesn't know where they are or how we made them. Sirius and your father tried to keep them a secret but they needed my help getting them to work properly, so they told me at the time what they were doing."

"Nobody in this room will tell anyone about them until they're ready," Tonks added. "Madam Bones and Mr. Weasley can be trusted to keep the secret and obviously Sirius won't tell anyone."

"The reason I know is because you're going to need plenty of money to get your idea up and running, and I'm willing to help," Draco said. "Father has said I need to start taking some interest in the Malfoy estate and I can see some real potential in the idea."

Harry nodded. It did make sense. "Professor Lupin," he said, have you found a new job yet?"

"No, and you don't have to call me Professor any more, Harry. Now I'm just Remus."

"Of course Pro… I mean, Remus."

After that the group sat discussing different aspects of their recent lives until the front door opened again and they heard Sirius' voice in the hallway. He was explaining about the need to keep quiet to a group of people. Soon Sirius entered the kitchen followed by the Davis family. Tracey immediately hurried up to Harry and hugged him.

"It's only been a month, Tracey," her brother Robert said laughing.

"Malfoy. I wasn't expecting to see you," Tracey said a moment later.

"I'm here as uncle Sirius' guest," he replied.

"Hello, Mrs. Davis; Robert," Harry said.

After a few more introductions the group sat around the kitchen table drinking Butterbeers Sirius had provided before Sirius said, "Now that everybody's here I think it's time to get the party started. Kreacher," a moment later an elderly house elf appeared, muttering under his breath. Harry was surprised by the lack of respect the elf showed toward Sirius.

"Your house elf should be better trained than that, Sirius. Kreacher," Draco said. Kreacher stopped muttering and turned to him.

"How may Kreacher help young master Malfoy?"

"We have guests, and Sirius is your rightful master. You should show him the same respect you show me."

"Kreacher is more likely to listen to Draco than to me," Sirius explained. "Been like that ever since Draco arrived last week."

With Draco's help they soon had everything they would need for the party. It went on until nearly midnight at which time Mrs. Davis took Tracey home and Robert apparated himself away. Soon after they left Tonks also headed off leaving Harry, Draco, Sirius and Remus to clean up before going to bed.

Sirius was away regularly over the next week. Even though he was no longer an auror he was still an employee of the Ministry of Magic and as such was still involved with the preparations for the Quidditch World Cup. In his absence Harry and Draco spent a lot of time together exploring the house with Remus Lupin on hand in case they discovered something dangerous. Even though Draco had a low opinion of Lupin he knew enough to show respect to their pseudo-guardian.

It was during one of his explorations of the house that Harry made an unusual discovery; in the drawing room he found an ornate gold locket bearing the Slytherin symbol. He found himself strangely attracted to it but previous experience had taught him to be careful so he resisted it and put it in his trunk for safe keeping.

One night during this time Harry had an unusual dream. It concerned a muggle man who lived next door to a run-down mansion where he worked as a gardener. In the dream the man had seen a flickering light in one of the windows and had gone to investigate using a spare key he had been keeping for over 50 years. Inside he had discovered two men and a giant snake. The men were Wormtail and his master, Lord Voldemort. The dream ended and Harry had woken up when Wormtail had killed the muggle.

Next morning Harry told Remus and Sirius about the dream and Sirius said he would look into it as soon as he could just in case.

After Draco left for his family estate Harry spent some time with Lupin. The full moon was approaching, however, so this time would soon end. Harry accepted an invitation to spend a few days with the Malfoys in the immediate lead up to the World Cup Final. The plan was for Harry to return to Grimmauld Place a few days before the final by which time Sirius would be free of his duties with the Ministry and would be able to keep an eye on Harry.

Two nights before he and Sirius were scheduled to leave for the World Cup Harry decided to show the locket to Sirius. Since he had placed it in his trunk the powerful attraction to it had diminished and Harry was beginning to suspect it may have tried to possess him. He had only ever encountered one object previously which seemed to have this power and that had been Tom Riddle's diary. He was worried this might be something similar.

"Sirius, I found this a few days ago and I suspect it might be dangerous," Harry said that night.

"What makes you think that?"

"When I picked it up I felt an urge to put it on. I resisted and instead put it in my trunk. Since then I have not felt any unusual urges. I have only ever encountered one other similar object. That was a diary Tracey and I found during our 2nd year and I know that diary had possessed its previous owner."

"What was in that diary, and what happened to it?" Sirius asked, concerned.

"The diary contained a memory of someone named Tom Riddle. He was the one who framed Hagrid over the death of Moaning Myrtle 50 odd years ago. After we realised what it was we went to Snape and he took us to Dumbledore where we learnt that Tom Riddle later became Lord Voldemort. It has since been destroyed."

"You are quite certain it has been destroyed?" Sirius asked.

"Yes," Harry replied. "Professor Snape showed me what was left after Dumbledore had finished with it. Nobody told me how it was destroyed, though."

"How did you come into possession of the diary?"

"Tracey and I found it in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. We went in there to turn off the taps after one of Myrtle's tantrums. Somebody had thrown it at her," Harry explained.

Sirius watched Harry carefully as he was explaining this. Harry got the impression Sirius knew he wasn't telling the whole truth. After a moment Harry continued.

"The person who brought the diary into Hogwarts didn't know what they were doing. The diary had possessed them. Somehow a memory of Lord Voldemort was placed into it and this memory was using the student to control Slytherin's monster. That, too, has now been destroyed."

"A pity you don't know how it was destroyed. If you are right then this is a dangerous artefact indeed. I wonder of Kreacher knows anything about it?"

"Why should Kreacher know about the locket?" Harry asked.

"Ever since my mother died he has been alone in this house. If anybody knows anything about this locket it would be him. Kreacher?" Sirius said the last word loudly.

A moment later Kreacher appeared. Harry could hear him muttering and was able to make out words like "Blood traitor;" "shame for the noble house of Black" and "what would Kreacher's mistress say."

"Kreacher," Sirius said loudly over the elf's muttering. "Do you know anything about this locket?"

Kreacher stopped muttering and looked at the locket in Sirius' hand and said, "That is Master Regulus' locket. Master Regulus trusted it to Kreacher and Kreacher is keeping it safe. Oh, Master Regulus; Kreacher is sorry for failing you."

"This is not Regulus' locket," Sirius said. "It bears the symbol of Salazar Slytherin, founder of Slytherin house at Hogwarts and is rightfully the property of the Heir of Slytherin. Harry is the Heir of Slytherin."

Kreacher wasn't listening. The whole time Sirius had been speaking he had been muttering about how he had failed Regulus.

Harry turned to Sirius. "Why would Kreacher say Regulus had trusted that locket to him?"

"Kreacher," Sirius commanded. "Tell me what it is about this locket that makes it so important? What were you supposed to do?"

Kreacher glared hatefully at Sirius. "Master Regulus told Kreacher to destroy that evil locket. Master Regulus told Kreacher it was dangerous and Kreacher must destroy it. But Kreacher failed. Oh, Master Regulus, Kreacher has failed you." suddenly Kreacher lunged for a heavy looking book on a nearby table. Seizing it, he began banging it against his head.

"Kreacher, stop that immediately," Sirius demanded. The elf stopped.

"Kreacher," Harry said gently. "If you want to destroy that locket, I think I can help you. But first why did Regulus ask you to destroy it?"

The elf stared at Harry, a look of disbelief on his face. "Harry Potter wants to help Kreacher?"

"Yes, if you will let me."


	3. 3 The Locket

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 3: The Locket**

Kreacher sat on the floor looking at Harry. Sirius stood nearby with a look of surprise on his face.

"I don't know how Professor Dumbledore destroyed the diary, but I do know something else that will work. Basilisk venom; and I know where I can get a supply of it. Before I do that, though, I would like to know more about why Regulus wanted you to destroy it," Harry explained.

"Harry," Sirius began, "where can you get Basilisk venom from? And don't say from a Basilisk. For Merlin's sake, don't say from a Basilisk." Harry noted Sirius seemed to be on verge of panicking.

"I've got a Basilisk fang in my trunk," Harry explained. "Back in my second year the Chamber of Secrets was opened and a number of students were petrified. Tracey and I found the chamber's entrance and I led Professors Dumbledore and Snape into the chamber. I was there only to open the chamber; the Headmaster actually killed it. After it was dead we each took a fang as a souvenir. I took one for Tracey as well. Mine has been in my trunk ever since."

Sirius seemed relieved with Harry's explanation. He relaxed so Harry returned attention to Kreacher. "Kreacher, please tell me about why Regulus wanted you to destroy the locket?"

"Kreacher," Sirius said, "I want you to answer Harry's questions."

Kreacher began. "Master Regulus was proud of the Black name and the dignity of his pure blood. He talked of the Dark Lord, who was going to return wizards to their rightful place of power over the mud-bloods and muggles. When he was 16 years old, Master Regulus joined the Dark Lord. He was so proud to serve his Master.

"One day, about one year later, Master Regulus came to see Kreacher in the kitchen. Master Regulus always liked Kreacher and Kreacher liked Master Regulus. Master Regulus said to Kreacher that the Dark Lord required an elf."

Both Harry and Sirius were startled to hear this. "Why did he need an elf?" Sirius asked.

"The Dark Lord needed to test a new potion." Kreacher replied before continuing. "Master Regulus said he would be honoured to offer Kreacher and it would be an honour for Kreacher to accept. Master Regulus told Kreacher to do whatever the Dark Lord ordered him to do; and then to come home."

As he was speaking Kreacher was rocking back and forwards clearly very nervous. Harry and Sirius remained silent while the elf composed himself.

"Kreacher went to the Dark Lord and the Dark Lord took him to a cave near the sea. Beyond the cave was a cavern, and in the cavern was a great, black lake. There was a boat. The Dark Lord told Kreacher to get aboard. The Dark Lord took Kreacher to an island in the middle of the lake. On the island was a basin filled with a potion that the Dark Lord made Kreacher drink."

Kreacher was visibly shaking by now and Harry wondered if perhaps they should stop for a while. Before he could voice this opinion, however, Kreacher continued.

"The potion made Kreacher see terrible things… Kreacher's insides burned… Kreacher cried for Master Regulus or any other to save him but none came. The Dark Lord laughed… he made Kreacher finish the potion. The Dark Lord placed a locket in the basin and refilled the potion.

"Then the Dark Lord sailed away, leaving Kreacher behind.

"Kreacher needed water. Kreacher crawled to the edge of the island and drank… hands, dead hands, came out of the water and dragged Kreacher under…"

"Inferi," Sirius whispered. Harry wondered what Inferi were but decided that could wait until later. After giving Kreacher a moment to recover he asked, "How did you escape?"

Kreacher raised his head and looked at Sirius. "Master Regulus told Kreacher to come back," was all he said. Sirius nodded.

"The house-elf's highest law is his master's bidding. Kreacher was told to come home, so Kreacher came home."

Harry now realised exactly what the previous statement meant. Because Regulus had ordered Kreacher to return he had been able to do so despite the Inferi.

"Kreacher, what happened when you got back?" Sirius asked.

"Master Regulus told Kreacher to stay hidden, and not to leave the house. Master Regulus was worried for Kreacher.

"Days later Master Regulus came to find Kreacher in his cupboard. Kreacher could tell Master Regulus was very worried. He asked to take him to the cave where Kreacher had gone with the Dark Lord."

"Did Regulus make you drink the potion?" Sirius asked but Kreacher shook his head.

"Master Regulus took a locket from his pocket and told Kreacher to take it and, when the basin was empty, to swap it for the one in the basin, and then to leave and never tell Mistress what happened or where they had gone."

Kreacher was sobbing loudly by now, making him difficult to understand, but it was clear what had happened next. Regulus drank the potion and was taken by the Inferi while Kreacher returned to Grimmauld Place with a locket he had been ordered to destroy – the same locket Harry had found.

"I'll go get the fang," Harry said. Sirius nodded. Harry noticed he seemed deep in thought.

When he returned with the fang Kreacher was sitting on the floor while Sirius was standing nearby. "Kreacher," Harry said, "I am going to open the locket and when I do you are to stab it with this fang. Do you understand?" Kreacher nodded and Harry gave him the fang as Sirius watched.

Harry sat near Kreacher and concentrated on the serpent motif on the locket. " _ **Open**_ ," he said in Parseltongue. The locket clicked and swung open. Kreacher drove the fang into the locket which screamed and began emitting a thick, noxious smoke that everybody backed away from. After a minute or so the smoke cleared and the ruined locket lay on the floor, the carpet around it burned away and the floorboards showing clear signs of damage.

Sirius picked up the ruined locket. "I will put somewhere safe until we can dispose of it properly." Harry nodded.

Next morning Sirius ordered Kreacher to bring a tray and a dozen silver goblets into the drawing room. After these were placed in a leather bag Sirius asked Kreacher to take Harry and himself to the cave where Voldemort had hidden the locket. Sirius explained they were going to retrieve and take a sample of the potion to the Ministry for analysis.

"I think we are ready to leave. Can you take us right to the interior of the cave?"

"Kreacher is unsure of that but Kreacher will try."

Harry and Sirius each took hold of one of Kreacher's hands and Kreacher disapparated, appearing outside a small cave on the coast. "Kreacher cannot take you any further. There is a magical barrier against that wall that Kreacher cannot take Master through."

"That's fine Kreacher. This is good enough," Sirius said as he examined the wall. Harry was also examining the wall, looking for some sign of an entrance.

"There's something here, Harry," Sirius said. "It appears as though we need to give the door something before it will open. Probably a password."

"More likely blood," Harry said. "It seems to be the sort of thing Voldemort would do." Harry pulled out a small knife and cut his finger before Sirius could stop him and wiped the blood on the stone.

Immediately an archway started glowing in the wall, allowing the group to enter. A narrow path run round the edge of the lake which they followed until Sirius, in the lead, told them to stop. His hand groped around in the air until he grasped hold of a chain and began hauling something towards them. The something turned out to be a small boat. It was obvious they would not all fit into it so Harry and Sirius boarded it leaving Kreacher to apparate over to the island while carrying the bag.

Kreacher was waiting for them on the island. When they arrived Harry took the tray and goblets out of the bag and placed them on the ground before Sirius picked up one of the goblets and dipped it into the potion. He carefully placed the full goblet on the tray, making sure not to spill anything and picked another goblet. After doing six times Harry heard the goblet scrape the bottom of the basin. Sirius felt around finally finding something at the bottom which he attempted to pick up. This proved unsuccessful so he put the full goblet down and picked up a new one. This time he was successful and scooped another locket out of it.

"That is Master Regulus' locket. The one Master exchanged for the evil one," said Kreacher when he saw what Sirius was holding.

Sirius put the locket on the ground and began emptying the goblets back into the basin. He kept one goblet full and placed a magical seal over the rim to prevent any leakage.

Sirius then examined the locket. After opening it Sirius handed a note to Harry before giving the locket itself to Kreacher. "As I promised you, this is yours to keep," he said.

"Kreacher can keep this?" The elf seemed to be in awe.

"Yes. It's yours, Kreacher. Can you take the tray and goblets back to Grimmauld Place while Harry and I have a chat?" Sirius asked.

Kreacher quickly put the other goblets in the sack and disappeared with a crack. Harry and Sirius climbed into the boat and returned to the path. They then walked back to the entrance while talking.

"What is an Inferi?" Harry asked as they walked.

"Inferi are animated corpses. Voldemort probably killed people with the specific purpose of turning the bodies of those who opposed him into his undead servants. It seems like something he would do."

Harry had to agree. His level of disgust at Voldemort increased with this news. "So they are something like the zombies in muggle movies and books," he said.

"That is a good comparison, yeah."

When they reached the stone archway it had closed itself. "I will cut myself this time, Harry. I don't want you doing anything like that again." Taking out a silver knife, Sirius sliced the palm of his hand.

Once they were outside he cast a healing spell on himself just as he had done for Harry earlier. Then he apparated Harry back to Grimmauld place and led him to the kitchen. Once they were both seated he said, "Harry, I'm very worried about this. That locket seemed to have a mind of its own and you told me the diary possessed its previous owner. That isn't normal even for a cursed object. I think we are dealing with something far more dangerous."

"Do you have any idea what?" Harry asked.

Sirius thought for a moment before replying. "I have an idea, but I need to speak to someone at the Ministry first. With the World Cup starting tomorrow that may take a while. I promise you, Harry, that when I know more I will tell you everything. For the moment leave this to me, and don't mention it to anyone; not even Tracey. Agreed?"

"I think you're right," Harry replied. "I think the fewer people who know about this the better. If you are right do you think we should tell Dumbledore?"

"Yes. Dumbledore is one of the few people who does need to know. I wonder if Snape can be trusted to do the analysis of the potion. That way even fewer people will need to be brought into it. Anyway; a quick snack then bed I think." Harry agreed.

Sirius made them a light meal before he and Harry went to bed. They would have an early start tomorrow and wanted to get a reasonable sleep in between. The Quidditch match didn't start until the evening but they both knew there would be a lot of activity to keep them entertained before then, and they both wanted to make the most of it.


	4. 4 The World Cup Campsite

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 4: The World Cup Campsite**

Kreacher woke Harry early the following morning. "Wake up, Master Harry," the elf said.

"I'm not your master," Harry replied in a groggy voice.

"Master Harry helped Kreacher to fulfil Master Regulus' last wish. In doing so Harry Potter has gained my loyalty and has become Kreacher's master," Kreacher explained.

Harry sat up and looked at his watch. He was startled to realise it was 4am. "Why is it so early?"

"Master Harry and Master Sirius have a long journey to get to the World Cup and so must leave early. Kreacher will return in five minutes with Master's breakfast." The elf disapparated.

Harry climbed out of bed and got dressed. Kreacher returned as he was putting his shoes on. "Here is Master's breakfast. Master Sirius told Kreacher to tell Harry Potter to be ready to leave at 4-30."

"Thank you, Kreacher. I will be ready by the main entrance at that time," Harry said as he began eating.

Harry had packed a small backpack with a change of clothes and a few other items the previous day. After breakfast he picked the pack up and retrieved his wand from the bedtable before heading downstairs to the entrance. Sirius arrived a moment later. "Where is the World Cup being held?" Harry asked.

"In a remote location," Sirius replied. "We only have to walk to King's Cross station. Our magical transport will be waiting for us on Platform 9&3/4 but, if we are late, it will leave without us. We need to be there by 5-05, or we will miss it."

It took about 20 minutes to walk to King's Cross. When they arrived there were already quite a few muggles looking to catch an early train to work but it was easy to move around unnoticed. Harry realised that, to muggle eyes, they would look like any normal tourists wanting to set out early for wherever they were going and that was, of course, true, although their destination was unlike anything any muggle had experienced.

When they entered Platform 9&3/4 they found a number of people already there. Several of them gave Sirius a wary look but a pair of aurors, one of whom was Tonks, made sure nothing happened. Tonks nodded to them before saying, "That old broomstick is your portkey. We are expecting 25 people so make sure you get a good hold of it otherwise you will be left behind."

"What's a portkey?" Harry asked.

"You'll see," Tonks replied with a wink.

Several more people arrived over the next few minutes and Harry soon found himself squashed between Sirius and an older woman who gave him a cheerful smile which he managed to return despite the uncomfortable arrangements. On Sirius' other side was Tonks who was looking at her watch. Presently she said, "10 seconds, everybody touching the broom?"

There was a murmur of consent as a couple people jostled each other to gain a better grip then, "5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0."

When Tonks said zero Harry felt a sharp tug behind his navel. He felt as if he was being pulled along by an invisible string, being buffeted by those around him. After several seconds the pulling sensation ended abruptly and Harry's feet hit the ground, causing him to stumble and fall. He looked around and was relieved to see the nearly everybody had fallen also. Nearby a voice called, "5-05 from King's Cross station."

Harry stood up and joined Sirius who was now talking to a wizard who was wearing a kilt matched with a poncho – it was because of this combination of clothes that Harry knew the man was a wizard. They were also joined by Tonks.

"Good to see you, Sirius," the man said as he shook Sirius' hand.

"Good to see you too, Basil," Sirius replied.

"I have to go back to work. I'll see you later, Sirius. Have a good time, Harry," Tonks said before hurrying off.

"Take this voucher and give it to a Mr. Donaldson," Basil told Sirius. "Your campsite is the third field over that way. It's just one field away from the stadium."

"Thank you, Basil. I'll only take the vouchers for Harry and I; Janet Davis and her children will be joining us in about 20 minutes. Give her the rest when they arrive, please," Sirius replied.

Sirius set off with Harry right behind him. "The field we are camping in is reserved for Ministry officials and invited guests. You will meet several people you've never met before, as well as some you already know. The best thing about it, though, is we're not right by any of the main access paths so it should be relatively quiet," Sirius explained.

"Sounds good," Harry said. "Do you know how to pitch a tent?"

"No. I hoped you would."

"The Dursleys never took me anywhere, least of all where they would have to share a room with me."

"Oh well. I can set it up by magic, although since we are in a muggle area we aren't supposed to use magic. We'll just have to be careful."

They arrived at the designated field and Sirius gave the voucher to Mr. Donaldson who was clearly a muggle and was already getting suspicious. "Seen some funny things today. Still, you don't bite the hand that feeds you," Mr. Donaldson said with a chuckle as he gave Sirius a map their campsite.

"Do you have second copy of this?" Sirius asked.

"Oh yeah. I was told you would be joined by another group," Mr. Donaldson said waving the other copy. Must be a pretty big tent you've got."

"It will be big enough. Come on, Harry, let's get set up before the others arrive."

Harry and Sirius walked to their campsite where Sirius put the pack on the ground and opened it, pulling the tent out. After carefully checking to make sure there were no muggles in sight Sirius waved his wand and a very plain looking tent shot into the air and erected itself. To Harry it looked nothing special but when he entered it her realised it was much larger than it appeared. It had four rooms, two bedrooms, one bathroom and a central area where at least 10 people could sit comfortably. He turned to see Sirius watching him. "Not too shabby, huh?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, impressive." Harry may have had three years in the magical world but some of the things magic could achieve still amazed him.

Sirius began brewing a pot of tea while Harry took out the cups, spoons and other items they would need. He wasn't sure exactly when the Davis' would arrive so he got things ready for them too. As it was he and Sirius had already finished their tea when they heard Mrs. Davis outside. "Sirius Black? Are you there?"

"Come in, Janet." Sirius called. A moment later they Mrs. Davis lead her children in and sat down. "Welcome in," Sirius continued. "We have two bedrooms so Robert will have to share with Harry and me, while the ladies will have that room there. There should be plenty of room at least for sleeping but it might get a little cramped in the bedrooms if you do much else. Would you like something to drink?"

"Tea all round, I think," Mrs Davis replied. Harry set out three cups while explaining Sirius and himself had already had a drink.

After refreshments Harry and Tracey set off to explore the campsite. Robert was going to join them but was called away by some of his friends. One of the first people Harry and Tracey found was Draco Malfoy who was sitting outside his tent enjoying the sunshine while his parents were away.

"Potter, Davis, good to see you. Won't you join me?" Draco said when he saw them.

"Hey, Malfoy. How are things?" Harry said when they sat down.

"Good morning, Malfoy," Tracey added.

"Not bad. Incidentally, don't mention anything to my parents about those mirror phones. They don't know about them and I don't intend telling them either. I want to choose where I invest my money without their help."

"Planning for the future already?" Harry asked.

"Of course," Draco replied. "Father started making his first investments when he was still at school and I intend doing the same."

The three talked quietly for some time before Mr and Mrs Malfoy returned accompanied by the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge. Harry and Tracey stood to greet them. "Good morning, sir," they both said to Fudge.

"Good morning to you all," Fudge replied. "Mr. Potter; Miss Davis, I was on my way to see Sirius Black when Lucius and Narcissa found me. As you are all here as my personal guests I think would be very pleasant if we stroll to the top box at the stadium together. Tell me; where exactly is your tent?"

"A very short distance that way, sir," Harry replied. "We had only just begun our walk when we ran into Draco so we haven't got very far yet."

"Good, good. Perhaps we should all go for a walk then?" Fudge suggested.

"of course, this way, sir," Tracey said as she led them back to Sirius' tent.

Robert hadn't returned when they reached the tent and Mrs. Davis had gone for a walk herself but Sirius was sitting outside reading a book. He looked up when Harry called to him. "Minister Fudge. Good to see you," he said.

"And you too, Mr Black. But why should we have the formalities? This is, after all, a party.

Janet returned soon after and the teenagers decided to leave the adults to their discussion. They wandered around for over an hour, pointing out tents where the occupants had clearly tried to make them look muggle but had often spectacularly failed. The worst example was a small, two person tent that the owners had fitted out with hanging plants, a flagpole and, worst of all, an open fire that burned red, white and green flames at the same time. Flames that were exactly identical every time they appeared.

Along the way they bought a few souvenirs and a program each. They were careful not to buy too much merchandise from people other than official sellers but inevitably they bought some rip-off items from less than reputable people who were clearly out for a quick galleon and had significantly inflated the prices over what the official sellers were charging but they did save a lot of time this way.

They also met a number of their fellow students while they were walking, Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson among them, before finally running into Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Quidditch captain from their first two years who now played for the Tutshill Tornados; the team now odds on to win the Quidditch National championship.

"Malfoy, Potter, welcome. You too, Miss Davis," Flint called when he saw them.

"Hello, Flint," Draco replied. "Tornados doing well I see."

"Very well, yes. Congratulations on winning the house cup recently, too. I wish I could have been still on the team for that."

"Any chance you could get us tickets to a Tornados game over Christmas?" Draco asked.

"Buy them yourself, Malfoy," Flint replied. "All my extra tickets are allotted to family and close friends, not for ex-teammates."

"Anyway, we had best be getting back to our tents. The stadium opens in an hour," Harry said, looking at his watch. "Good to see you, Flint. We should keep in touch."

"Yeah. I best get going, too. The Tornados might be wondering where I am. See you all later," Flint said as they rest turned away.

It took them half an hour find their way back to Sirius' tent. From there Draco returned to his parents' tent where they were all to meet up prior to leaving for the stadium.

As the sun was setting they heard the sound of several loud trumpets summoning them to the stadium. Sirius, Janet, Harry, Robert and Tracey sealed their tent and set off for the Malfoys' tent. Fudge was already there when they arrived so they immediately set off together for the stadium.


	5. 5 The Quidditch World Cup

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 5: The Quidditch World Cup**

Fudge led them through the crowds that were by now swarming toward the stadium. Harry, Tracey, Robert and Draco stayed behind Sirius and Janet while the elder Malfoys brought up the rear, making sure nobody got separated from the group. When they reached the stadium a Ministry official waved them straight through and up the nearest stairwell. Nobody spoke much as they climbed partly because it was a long way up and the climb was quite tiring.

When they reached the Top Box they found a number of people already there. Harry was a little surprised to see almost the entire Weasley family, except Mrs. Weasley, sitting there along with Hermione Granger. Initially none of the Weasleys noticed the new arrivals so Draco took the opportunity to "accidentally" clip Ron over the head.

"Ow. Oh, it's you Malfoy," Ron said, glaring at Draco.

"Oh, 'sorry,' Weasley. I didn't see you there," Draco said, sarcastically.

"Arthur, what a surprise," Lucius said in an icy tone.

"Lucius," Mr. Weasley replied. Harry noticed Hermione and the younger Weasley children glaring at Draco. Percy and two older boys Harry didn't know looked more circumspect.

"Come along, everybody take your seats before the Bulgarian Ministry people arrive," Fudge said over the chatter, apparently unaware of the tension. "Ah, I see Barty Crouch has sent his house elf up to secure his seat. Good idea, although I wish Barty himself was here to greet the Bulgarians. He is fluent in their language while I don't speak a word. I don't suppose any of you speak Bulgarian, do you?"

Several people shook their heads but Harry was more interested in the house elf in the corner. The creature, Harry thought it might be female, had its eyes covered and was peering through a narrow gap in its fingers. Harry wondered if it was afraid of heights.

Next to the house elf was an empty seat while Ron Weasley sat nearby. Draco was directly behind Ron, sitting between his parents. As for Harry's group he sat between Sirius and Tracey near the other end of the box. Sirius was in the corner with Robert and Janet sitting on Tracey's other side, next to Percy Weasley.

Mr. Weasley introduced the two boys Harry didn't know as his oldest sons, Bill and Charlie. Charlie was shorter and very stocky, very muscular looking. Apparently he worked in Romania with dragons, something Harry found fascinating but not something he would personally want to do. Bill, on the other hand, was apparently a curse breaker with Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Harry hadn't put much thought into a career after leaving school but this was something he had looked at briefly in his second year when he had been deciding what extra subjects to take. It was one of the reasons he had chosen Arithmancy and Ancient Runes.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a group of important-looking people whom Fudge introduced as the Bulgarian Minister for Magic and his entourage. After stumbling over the Bulgarian Minister's name for a moment Fudge said they didn't speak a word of English anyway. Harry thought that, even it were true, the Bulgarians would recognise their names being mispronounced and would be less than impressed.

Soon after another man came into the box. This man, whose name was Ludo Bagman, was wearing a set of old Quidditch robes from the Wimborne Wasps, a team in the British professional Quidditch championships. Bagman was to be the announcer for the match and, after a brief word with Fudge, cast "Sonorus" on himself and addressed the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began in a booming voice that drowned out everything around them, "welcome to the 422nd Quidditch World Cup final."

Before the teams arrived on the pitch Bagman introduced the team mascots. The Bulgarian mascots were a large group of stunningly gorgeous woman the like of which Harry had never seen before. After watching them for a moment he completely forgot about anything else. He wanted to join these gorgeous woman who were now leaping around and stamping their feet in the most exciting dance style he had ever seen. Harry knew he was great flyer. Perhaps if he jumped from the top box he could impress these woman with his brilliance.

A sudden blow to the side of his face distracted Harry. He looked around and realised he had one foot on the edge of the box while Tracey was holding his arm clearly preparing to strike him again with her other hand. He slumped back into his seat.

"Just what do you think you were going to do, Harry?" Tracey demanded.

"Ah, well, um, I don't know," Harry replied sheepishly.

Tracey sighed. "First time you've ever seen a Veela, huh." She laughed, as did her mother who Harry now realised was holding Robert down in his seat.

"Veela aren't anywhere near as attractive as they pretend to be," Arthur Weasley said. "Oh, Ron, you might want to keep that. It did cost a fair bit after all." Ron was in the process of shredding a green, orange and white rosette he had been wearing when the Weasleys arrived. Clearly he had intended supporting Ireland.

It was now apparent that many of the 100 000 people in the stadium and been in the same condition Harry had been in a few moments ago. A chorus of booing had filled the stadium when the Veela had stopped dancing but it was now subsiding.

The Irish mascots were Leprechauns who rained heavy gold coins on the heads of the spectators. "They aren't real gold, you know," Sirius shouted to those around him while he, Harry and their friends tried to avoid being hit by them. Harry couldn't help notice that Ron Weasley gathered up a large handful of the coins and stuffed them into his pocket. He decided not to mention it to anyone, however.

The respective mascots now settled down at opposite ends of the pitch as Bagman introduced the teams, starting with the Bulgarians. Harry had already heard of the Bulgarian seeker, Viktor Krum. His name had been mentioned dozens of times as they had walked around the campsite prior to leaving for the stadium. Apparently he was quite young with some people claiming he was too young to be playing at this level. The other Bulgarians were new to Harry but he realised they must be good players otherwise their team wouldn't have made it to the final.

By contrast several of the Irish players were familiar to Harry. He had played against two of the Irish team in his first year at Hogwarts when his Slytherin team had beaten the Ravenclaw team they had played for. From that he realised that both teams were quite young and, if he wanted to play professionally after leaving Hogwarts he would need to start calling in some of his contacts. He immediately thought of Marcus Flint and decided to write to him before they got back to school.

Last person introduced was the referee and with his entry onto the pitch the game was ready to begin.

Harry was amazed at the speed and skill of the players. So much was happening so quickly even he found it difficult to follow everything so he decided to concentrate just on the seekers, Lynch for Ireland and Krum for Bulgaria. He soon gave up even on this and decided instead to just watch the game. Ireland were dominating and it soon became apparent there was a real chance the match may be effectively over before the snitch was caught and indeed this was essentially what happened when Krum caught the snitch with Ireland leading by 160 points ending the game but giving Ireland the win by 170 – 160.

Harry had so intently watching the game he was only vaguely aware of what else had happened. He knew Krum had a broken nose after taking a bludger to the face and that Lynch had twice crashed, the second time he had been attacked by the Veela who had transformed into vicious looking birdlike creatures who had thrown fireballs but he hadn't realised a full scale riot had nearly broken out.

Suddenly Harry heard a heavily accented voice say, "Vell, Ve fought bravely." He realised it was the Bulgarian Minister and that Fudge was now complaining in an indignant voice about being made to look a fool.

Later he heard Mr. Weasley comment on the Veelas and telling his sons not to judge by appearances alone. Tracey also told him about how the referee had fallen under the spell of the Veela and when he had recovered he tried to banish them. This was one of the causes of the riot.

Any further discussion was curtailed, however, the Top Box was suddenly bathed in bright light. Harry realised the World Cup Trophy had been brought into the box for presentation. Firstly, however,the Bulgarian team entered the box and shook hands with their Minister and then with Fudge. Last in line was Krum, blood still flowing freely from his nose and still holding the snitch in his hand. Harry realised Krum seemed far less co-ordinated on the ground than in the air. Even so he received the loudest cheer of all when he was introduced to the crowd.

Next came the Irish team and Harry now realised Lynch had been hurt far worse than he originally thought. Lynch was essentially being carried by his teammates and seemed totally unaware of his surroundings. These were symptoms of a severe concussion and Harry was now very worried for his health although nobody else seemed to notice.

After being presented with the trophy and Irish team set off on a victory lap with Lynch riding behind one of his teammates. Harry just hoped he would be alright. Meanwhile Bagman pointed his wand at his throat and said "Quietus," ending the Sonorus spell he had cast earlier and, in doing so, ending the commentary.

It took several long minutes before Harry, Sirius and the Davis's were able to leave the box but they didn't mind. They, along with the Malfoys, sat around talking about the match with Harry and Draco soon getting into an argument about why Krum had chosen to catch the snitch and, therefore, costing his team any chance of winning. Harry thought Krum had done it because he knew Bulgaria were never going to stage a comeback and he just wanted to reduce the losing margin but Draco insisted that, as it was the final, he should have waited until his team had scored one more goal thus forcing a draw. Further discussion was prevented when Sirius and Lucius had intervened and said it was time to leave.

The Weasleys had held a similar discussion and had presented what were basically the same arguments but Harry hadn't heard the outcome of that since they had left the box almost as soon as the commentary had finished.

As they made their way back to their campsite they heard many other people discussing the same thing. Obviously this event would lead to a great deal of discussion for many weeks to come.

When they reached the tent and the Malfoys had left for their own Sirius made them each a cup of hot chocolate. "Now that my duties with the Ministry are finished I can concentrate more on our business plan," Sirius had said as they sat around the tent. "Janet, Robert; when I was a student at Hogwarts I, along with Remus Lupin and Harry's father James, developed what we called Two-Way mirrors. It is a simple, portable device that allowed us to keep in touch whenever we were separated. Harry told me it sounded similar to something muggles call a 'Mobile Phone'. This led to a discussion of how we could adapt them so that, instead of just two mirrors, we could create a whole network of these things."

"I can see it having many uses, especially if you're in danger and need help," Tracey put in. "All you do is say a code-word and someone will talk to you and find out what help you need. I think we should invest in it."

"Who else knows about it?" Janet asked.

"Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Arthur Weasley and Draco Malfoy. Oh, and also Madam Bones," Sirius replied.

"I suppose I could look at it. If I think it's worthwhile I'll see what I can do," Janet said.

At this point they realised the noise level outside had increased and, instead of shouts of excitement, there now seemed to be screams of terror. "I think we should check out what's happening," Janet said. "Robert, stay here and look after Tracey and Harry. I don't suppose you've got those mirror things have you, Sirius?"

"Unfortunately no," Sirius replied. "You're right, though we need to investigate." Sirius and Janet hurried out of the tent leaving the teenagers to quickly get some things together in case they had to leave in a hurry.


	6. 6 The Death-eaters

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 6: The Death-eaters**

Tracey hurried into the room she was to have shared with her mother while Harry and Robert entered the other room. Soon all three were together at the front of the tent. It was clear that something had happened and Harry's first thought was a riot had broken out. When he voiced this opinion the other two agreed he was probably right.

They decided to head toward the nearby forest since this was the direction many people were headed in anyway. It was during this walk the real cause became apparent. Several bright flashes in the sky caught their attention and Tracey pointed to the small group of people walking in a tight group pointing their wands up at what seemed to be four dolls. With a shock Harry realised the "dolls" were people and the group below them were wearing masks.

"Death-eaters," Robert said. "This way, quickly."

They followed Robert into the trees pausing only to light their wands. As soon as Robert felt they were safe he called for them to stop. "Stay here. We will be safe as long as we stick together and don't get involved," he said a moment later.

"I don't know what you are worried about," a voice called from nearby. They turned to see Draco Malfoy leaning against a tree.

"What do you mean Malfoy?" Tracey asked, an air of suspicion in her voice.

"Let's see. The Heir of Slytherin; The Heir of Slytherin's girlfriend and The Heir of Slytherin's girlfriend's brother," Draco said pointing to Harry, Tracey then Robert in turn. "They are only after muggles; not powerful sorcerers with strong family ties."

"How do you know that?" Robert asked. Harry felt just as suspicious of Malfoy's meaning as the others clearly did.

"Just saying'," Malfoy replied.

Further discussion was curtailed by the sound of voices from the few metres away. "Hurry up, Ron. The others are already getting away from us."

"I'm coming," came the reply.

"On the other hand they do have something to worry about," Draco said in a loud voice. A moment later Hermione Granger entered the clearing with Ron Weasley right behind her.

"What do you mean by that, Malfoy?" Hermione demanded.

"I think you should be careful Granger, unless you want everyone to see your knickers," Draco said.

"Hermione's a witch, Malfoy," Ron said angrily. "Anyway, where are your parents? I know my father's trying to help the muggles; what about yours?"

Before Draco could reply Robert said loudly. "Enough. We may not be at Hogwarts but I am a prefect and my mother left me in charge. Malfoy, Weasley, Granger; you can stay here but if you want to but if you do then you will do as I say. That means no arguing."

Ron and Hermione glared at the Slytherins for a moment before Ron said, "Let's go. Perhaps we can find better company further in." He and Hermione moved off going deeper into the forest.

Robert turned to Draco. "Are you staying?"

"Technically, since I was here first, I should be inviting you to stay. But anyway, I have nothing else to do so alright, I'll stay with you."

Harry knew from the expressions on both Davis' faces they thought the same thing he did. He knew Draco's father was a Death-eater and it was Death-eaters who were torturing those people whom he had now realised were muggles so it thought that perhaps Lucius at least was with the masked group. Narcissa probably wasn't but no doubt she knew what was happening and perhaps condoned it.

"Anyway, Potter. Do you still think Krum was right to catch the snitch when he did?" asked Draco.

"Yeah, I do. Do you still think he was wrong?" Harry replied.

"Of course. There is no point in playing to lose. What do you think, Tracey; Robert?"

Before either could reply a brilliant flash of green light erupted into the sky above them. Looking up they saw an enormous green skull soaring into the air; a snake emerging from its mouth like a grotesque tongue. They all knew it was the Dark Mark; Lord Voldemort's personal symbol.

They could hear people screaming and shouting all around them. "Stay here," Robert said. "Don't go anywhere near the place it came from. Draco looked at the skull with a look of shock on his face. Harry and Tracey felt the same way. None of them had any intention of leaving the place they were currently standing in.

Several loud pops could now be heard from near where the skull had appeared. A moment later they heard numerous loud bangs. "That will be the Ministry officials," Robert explained. "Let's hope they get whoever is responsible.

"Who could do that, though?" Harry asked.

"Only a Death-eater would know the incantation for casting that spell," Robert said.

"Whoever it was I hope they caught them," Draco said. The worry evident in his voice.

"Why did everybody start to panic when the Dark Mark appeared?" Harry asked.

"It goes back to the last Wizarding war," Robert began. "Whenever the Death-eaters killed someone they would shoot that mark into the air over the victim's body. It was their way of showing they could strike wherever they wanted and whenever they wanted and there was no way to stop them. They just wanted to scare as many people as possible. That is probably what the caster had in mind tonight. They simply wanted to start a panic on top of the riot."

A sudden movement nearby caught everybody by surprise. All four of them pointed their wands in the direction it came from. "Who's there?" Robert demanded.

Two children stumbled through the bushes. A boy who looked to be about 12 looked at them with a scared expression. "Don't hurt us," he began. "Our parents told us to hide in here when those masked people started attacking and burning tents."

"Come here," Tracey said. "You can stay with us for now."

The two children cautiously approached her. "I'm Michael Bennett. This is my sister Anne. She hasn't started at Hogwarts yet but I have. I'm in Hufflepuff."

"I'm Tracey Davis. That is my brother Robert, he's a 7th year prefect. These are Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. We're all Slytherins."

"Slytherins?"

"Not all Slytherins are bad. None of us would hurt someone just because they are in a different house," Tracey explained. Harry noticed she was watching Draco as she spoke.

"Stay here you two," Robert said. "I will make sure nothing happens to you."

The group sat in silence for several minutes. On a couple of occasions the sound of loud voices could be heard from where the Dark Mark had been cast but they couldn't make out what was being said. One voice in particular, though, stood out from the rest. Eventually Robert said, "I think that may be Barty Crouch. I'm not certain but it sounds like him."

"Crouch is the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation," Draco said for the benefit of those who didn't know. "After what happened a few minutes ago he is going to have a lot on his plate. Think of all the international visitors here for the World Cup."

After a few more minutes they heard someone shouting nearby. "Robert, Tracey, where are you."

"We're here mum," Robert shouted. "Harry, Draco and a couple of other kids are with us."

Moments later Mrs. Davis hurried into the clearing with Sirius not far behind.

"Are you all alright?" Mrs. Davis asked.

"We're all fine. Did you catch the person who cast the Dark Mark?" asked Robert.

"Unfortunately, no," Sirius said. "All we found was Barty Crouch's house elf. She apparently stumbled over the wand after whoever cast it had disapparated and got caught up in the crossfire. We also found Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger nearby. They were pretty shaken up but they told us where to find you."

"So whoever cast the mark obviously used someone else's wand," Robert said. "Any idea who?"

"Even if we did we wouldn't tell you," Mrs. Davis said suddenly sounding more severe. "That is Ministry of Magic business."

"We do know whose wand was used. It was Ron Weasley's only he doesn't know where he lost it so it doesn't help narrow it down at all," Sirius added.

"They got Weasley's wand?" asked Draco. "Are you sure he didn't cast it?"

Draco's question earned him several angry glares but he looked unabashed. Mrs. Davis next turned her attention to the two younger children. "I'm Janet Davis, I work for the Ministry's child welfare department. I think the best thing to do now is take you two back to your parents. No doubt they are very worried. Where are you staying?"

"In the middle of that field. My name is Michael Bennett and this is my sister Anne."

"Come along then. I will take you two back. Sirius can you take the others back to our tent?" I assume Draco is capable of finding his way back to his parent's tent from there?"

"Of course," Draco replied with an air of sarcasm.

Janet left with the Bennett children while Sirius transformed into his dog form and led the others through the camp ground. Harry guessed he had transformed so as not to draw too much attention to himself.

When they reached their tent Draco said his goodbye's and disappeared through the crowd leaving Sirius, Harry and the Davis' in peace. They entered the tent but nobody was tired so they sat around waiting for Janet's return. She returned nearly an hour later looking very tired and unhappy.

"What a disaster," she said. "It's complete chaos out there. I doubt anybody will be getting much sleep tonight, and in the morning the whole magical world will know about it. It looks like I'm going to be very busy for the next few days. Sirius, the Ministry would like you to come back to help out, at least until this all blows over."

"I guess I could return on a short term contract. It is money in the bank, after all," Sirius replied.

"Mum, you're supposed to be on leave next week, and we haven't got our Hogwarts things yet," Tracey said.

"You lot will have to go by yourselves, I'm afraid. Still, it shouldn't take too long. A couple of hours at the most. Harry you've got your own vault and I will give the two of you enough to cover everything, plus a bit to spare. You're all old enough now to look after yourselves so it shouldn't be a problem."

"You can all stay at my place if you like," Sirius offered. "Kreacher is behaving in a much more reasonable manner now and I know he'll accept orders from Harry."

"How did that come about?" Tracey asked.

"I helped him with something in exchange for him helping Sirius and me," Harry replied evasively.

"Were you able to get those other two kids back safely to their parents?" Robert asked. Harry was sure he had changed the topic deliberately since Tracey was still watching him closely.

"Yes. Their parents were quite relieved when I returned them. There were still a number of other children we had to return to their families, though. I had to help a few others before I was able to get away," Janet replied.

"At least they are all back safely," Sirius said. "So, are you going to stay with me or not?"

"Thank you, Sirius. At least that is one less problem I'll have to deal with."

"I suggest we all try to get some sleep and as soon as we can in the morning we'll get out of this place," Sirius said.

Reluctantly, and even though nobody felt tired, they headed into their respective rooms. Harry climbed into his sleeping bag and lay on the groundsheet. The Dark Mark was Lord Voldemort's symbol and tonight it appeared for the first time in nearly 13 years. And then there was that dream he had a couple of nights ago. Did this mean that Voldemort was about to return?


	7. 7 Shopping Trip

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 7: Shopping Trip**

The group managed to get away early the following morning by using side-along apparation. Sirius took them to the kitchen where they met Kreacher. "Good morning master and guests. What would you like for breakfast?"

"Something light, please," Sirius said. "Once you've eaten straight to bed. Kreacher, could you prepare two of the guestrooms on the same floor Harry's room is on, please?"

"Kreacher is happy to do as master wishes."

"We got very little sleep last night so, as soon as you've eaten, I want you all to go straight to your rooms. Get as much sleep as you can but don't stay in bed once you wake up. As for me, I have to go to the Ministry to find out what they would like me to help with." Sirius left them after grabbing a couple of pieces of toast and having a quick cup of tea.

After breakfast they headed to their respective rooms. Harry didn't think he would be able to get much sleep but the next time he looked at his watch it was 3-40pm, almost eight hours later. He got up and went to the kitchen where he found Robert eating sandwiches. "Afternoon, Harry. Hungry?"

"Yeah, thanks. I didn't realise I was so tired. I slept for nearly eight hours," Harry replied.

About 20 minutes later Tracey joined them. "Last up, I see," she said. "Any food left?"

"Kreacher," Harry called.

"How may Kreacher help Master Harry?" the elf asked.

"Can you make some more sandwiches, please? And I think we would like something light for dinner. A salad would be good rather than cooked veges."

"Of course, master." Kreacher immediately prepared sandwiches for Tracey and then started on their dinner while Robert brought Harry and Tracey up to date. The Daily Prophet had wasted no time in publishing the story about the riot but, unfortunately, had not bothered checking their facts. Worst of all, they had implied several people had been killed after the Dark Mark appeared. This was completely false, nobody had been killed and, apart from the muggles attacked at the start, there had been no serious injuries. All four muggles had been fully healed and their memories wiped to prevent them remembering anything that had happened.

"Who wrote that ridiculous article?" Tracey asked.

"One guess," Robert replied.

"Rita Skeeter?" asked Tracey. Robert nodded.

"Who is Rita Skeeter?" Harry asked.

"Only the worst example of a sensationalist reporter alive in Britain today," Robert replied. "Most of her stories are more fantasy than fact. Unfortunately she is popular and a lot of people think she's good at her job so she keeps getting work."

The rest of the afternoon was spent discussing the article. When Sirius arrived home just after 6pm they were still talking about it.

That evening Tracey asked Harry, "So what happened to make Kreacher show you so much respect?"

"A few weeks ago I was exploring the house with Draco," Harry began. "We went into the drawing room and found several unusual items. Professor Lupin, I mean Remus, was with us so we decided to try a few things. If any of them were cursed Remus would be able to help us. Anyway, while we were there I found a locket which I had a strange attraction to. It felt like it was trying to make me wear it. I realised the feeling was similar to what had happened with Tom Riddle's diary back in second year so I put it in my trunk."

"Good idea. What happened next?" she asked.

"A couple of days before the World Cup I asked Sirius about it. He didn't know anything about it so he called Kreacher. Kreacher recognised it and claimed it had belonged to Sirius' brother Regulus and that Regulus had told him to destroy it. Long story short I helped Kreacher destroy the locket and now he treats he like his master."

"How did you destroy it?"

"I knew that it would take something powerful to destroy such a powerful artefact so I got that basilisk fang from my trunk and gave it to Kreacher. Kreacher then used it to destroy the locket. Sirius has the locket now and is trying to determine exactly what it was. Hopefully I'll know more soon but this World Cup debacle means he is very busy so I don't know when we'll know exactly."

"We'll find out eventually so let's leave it for now," Tracey said. Harry agreed.

A few days later Harry and the Davis' set off for Diagon Alley to do their Hogwarts shopping. They were to meet the Greengrass' there and Mrs. Greengrass would escort them while they finished their shopping. Everybody met up at the Leaky Cauldron and from there went to Gringotts so Harry, Daphne and Astoria could withdraw some money. Diagon Alley was very busy so it took a while to move around and get into all the shops they needed to visit but eventually there was only Madam Malkin's left.

Harry, Tracey and Daphne had been told they would need dress robes for the school year and Mrs. Greengrass had decided to get some new formal robes for Astoria as well. Harry knew Tracey's favourite colour was pink so he wasn't all that surprised when she modelled a set of pink silk robes that looked something like the cocktail dresses he had seen Aunt Petunia wear for formal events. His own robes were an emerald green colour that Mrs. Greengrass said matched his eyes.

Daphne chose a bright blue colour for her robes and Harry noticed she looked extremely pretty in them. Daphne seemed eager to show them off but soon changed back into her normal clothes once everybody present had seen them. Astoria's dress robes were a shade of deep blue that reminded Harry of the sky just after sunset.

Two days before they were due to catch the train to Hogwarts Sirius came home with a deep frown on his face. "Thanks to Rita Skeeter things have just gotten a lot worse," he said by way of explanation. "She has been poking her nose in around the Ministry looking for any other story she can exploit and she found one. Several weeks ago a woman who worked for Barty Crouch in the Department of International Magical Cooperation went on holiday and hasn't been seen since. Now she is writing about how Crouch is an idiot (which he is) for not having found her."

Harry knew Crouch was the person responsible for sending Sirius to Azkaban so he had to agree with Sirius on the idiot remark but he wanted to know more about this disappearance. "Who is she?" he asked.

"Her name is Bertha Jorkins. I knew her from school; I think she may have been in the same year as your mother," Sirius said, nodding to the Davis'. "Anyway; her behaviour in recent years has been a bit odd and I suspect Crouch may have done something to her but I can't prove it, but she does have access to a lot of information. Madam Bones is looking into the possibility Bertha may have given the Death-eaters inside information about our security arrangements for the World Cup. Now Skeeter has published a story claiming Ministry insiders are behind the riot, and that is why nobody has been arrested."

"Do you think people will believe that?" Tracey asked.

"Unfortunately some people will," Sirius replied. "More likely though, I think something may have happened to Bertha. She may have been kidnapped and been forced to reveal the information or she may have unknowingly told someone who then used the information to plan the incident. It is possible, too, the riot had nothing to do with her and her disappearance is purely a coincidence. I just don't know."

"How much longer will you be tied up at the Ministry?" Harry asked.

"A while yet. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten our little project. Remus is working on it whenever he can, and Arthur Weasley is proving a useful helper too. He obtained a muggle mobile phone using a research grant approved by Madam Bones and managed to get it to work in a magical environment, although it won't work in the Ministry or Diagon Alley. He is confident that particular hurdle can be overcome and that is what Remus is trying to do."

Harry, Tracey and Robert spent the last day of the holidays making sure they had all their belongings ready so they wouldn't need to rush around in the morning. Janet would be joining them for the walk to Kings Cross so they made certain they were packed.

Robert had missed out on the Head Boy role but he was still a prefect and would once again have his duties to attend to so they decided to leave earlier than they would normally have done so. There might be a few muggleborn first years who couldn't find the platform and would need help. Harry well remembered being in this situation three years ago and how that had led to him meeting the Davis'.

They set out from Grimmauld Place at 10am to walk to Kings Cross. Rain was pouring down and, even though it was only a 20 minute walk to the station, by the time they arrived they were very wet. Janet and Sirius cast warming and drying spells on everyone after they found a small room where they wouldn't be seen by any passing muggles. Next they made their way toward Platform 9 where they waited for any new arrivals. Fortunately, shortly before 10-45 a train pulled into Platform 9 so their apparent actions seemed to be justified to muggle eyes. At 10-50 they decided it was time to leave so, after making sure nobody was watching them, Janet led the group through the barrier.

On the other side was the usual chaos of families saying their farewells to each other, of cats clambering around the legs of different people and the sounds of people and animals. Robert headed towards the prefects' carriage while Harry and Tracey walked down the train, finally catching sight of Daphne Greengrass and boarding the train to join her. Astoria had chosen to sit with some of her fellow second years it would only be the three of them in their compartment.

"I hope it isn't raining like this when we get to Hogsmeade," Tracey said as the train pulled out of the station. "We will get very wet if it is."

When they had left the station they closed the curtains and changed into their uniforms. All three were used to each-others company so they thought nothing of changing together. Next they packed away their clothes in their trunks, opened the curtains and waited for the food trolley. Before it arrived, however, Draco Malfoy turned up with Crabbe and Goyle in tow. They sat together for a short while talking about the Quidditch World Cup. Daphne had been there but hadn't seen any of them except on the big screen during the presentation. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle left after the trolley had arrived and they had all bought some food, choosing to return to their own compartment to eat.

As they journeyed north the weather showed no signs of improving. By the time they reached Hogsmeade the rain was, if anything, heavier than it had been in London and even in the short dash to the horseless carriages they got very wet. They were joined in their carriage by Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini.

When the carriage reached the entrance they jumped out quickly and hurried up the steps into the Entrance Hall but their hopes of staying dry were quickly dashed as Peeves was there, throwing water balloons at anybody within range. Although they managed to avoid taking any direct hits they couldn't avoid the water being splashed around by the bursting balloons. They did, however, enjoy seeing Ron Weasley getting hit by one and then seeing Professor McGonagall slipping and nearly choking Hermione Granger as she tried to regain her balance.

They hurried into the Great Hall and to the Slytherin table where they sat down and tried to dry themselves off. Harry hoped the teachers had some way of drying and warming everybody present otherwise the hospital wing would be very busy the next day with colds and the like.


	8. 8 Announcing: The Tri-wizard Tournament

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 8: Announcing: The Tri-wizard Tournament**

Shortly after everybody was settled in the hall Harry noticed it was apparently getting warmer. Not only that, their clothes were now dry. He guessed the hall most have similar drying and warming charms on it to those Mrs. Davis and Sirius had used at Kings Cross; although obviously on a much larger scale.

The main door opened and Professor McGonagall led a long line of first years into the hall. One boy immediately stood out to Harry because he was wearing Hagrid's massive moleskin coat. The boy mouthed something towards the Gryffindor table but Harry couldn't quite make out what was said.

"Any idea why that first year is wearing Hagrid's coat?" Harry asked.

Draco was smirking. "I think he said he fell in."

"That's hardly a laughing matter," Daphne said, glaring at Malfoy.

After the sorting hat's song Professor McGonagall began reading off the names. The first student went into Ravenclaw but the next one, Malcolm Baddock, was sorted into Slytherin. Harry clapped along with the rest of his house of Malcolm joined the Slytherins at their table.

When the name Dennis Creevey was called out the boy Hagrid's coat stumbled forward. After he was sorted into Gryffindor Daphne said; "It seems I owe you an apology, Malfoy. That boy must that pest Colin Creevey's brother."

"Thank you Daphne. I always was a good judge of character," Draco replied. Harry disagreed with that statement but kept it to himself.

There were an unusually large number of students and the sorting took longer than usual. Towards the end Harry found himself thinking more and more about the feast. Finally Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and Dumbledore stood to address the hall. "I have only two words to say to you," he said in his deep voice. "Tuck in."

The feast was its usual outstanding self. As usual Harry helped himself to whatever he liked and then enjoyed his favourite desserts while talking with those around him. He learnt that Crabbe and Goyle had not attended the World Cup. Apparently the tickets had been too expensive. Crabbe's sister, Mildred, had been especially disappointed about this. It was her ambition to play chaser for the house team and she had wanted to see how the professionals played. Daphne had recorded the match on her Omnioculars, a device that served the same purpose as a video camera in the muggle world, and agreed to lend them to Mildred for a week so she could watch the game.

During the feast the Bloody Baron, the Slytherin house ghost, made an appearance at the table, startling the first years. Even though there were no muggleborn first years in Slytherin several of them had never met a ghost before. "I hope you enjoy your meal," the Baron said in his deep, mournful voice. "If it wasn't for me you might not have had one."

"What do you mean, sir?" Theodore Nott asked.

"Peeves," was the Baron's reply. Everybody nodded. The Baron was probably the only one, living or dead, who could control the poltergeist. "That might explain why Peeves seemed so unhappy earlier," an older student sitting nearby said.

Once the food had disappeared from the plate Dumbledore stood to address the hall. He had barely begun speaking, however, when a particularly bright flash of lightning accompanied by a loud clap of thunder interrupted him. At the same instant the main door to the Great Hall was flung open and a man walked in, leaning heavily on a thick staff.

Harry, along with everybody else looked at this man. After a moment he started walking towards the staff table. With every second step there was a loud clunk, apparently this man had a wooden leg which at least explained the staff. When the man reached the teacher's table he lowered his hood and Harry could see he was also missing half his nose. Nearby Draco Malfoy was heard to gasp, "Mad Eye Moody? What's he doing here?"

Before Harry could ask who 'Mad Eye Moody' was Dumbledore began speaking again. "May I introduce to you our new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Moody?"

" _Professor Moody?"_ Malfoy said; a hint of fear in his voice. All around the hall there was light smattering of noise totally unlike the usual loud applause whenever a new teacher was introduced.

When Professor Moody turned around Harry gasped. The man's left eye was a brilliant blue sphere that seemed to flick rapidly all around the room. Harry was more than slightly disconcerted by his appearance, a reaction shared by almost everybody in the hall. Next to him he could feel Tracey shuddering while Malfoy looked especially afraid.

Moody took his seat at the staff table. Even though there was a jug of pumpkin juice right in front of him Moody ignored it; instead taking a flask from his belt and taking a long swig from it. Next he pulled out a knife and speared a sausage that had appeared in a plate in front of him and sniffed it. After carefully examining it Moody took a bite. The whole time they could see his magical blue eye whizzing around in its socket. The sight made Harry feel sick so he looked away, focussing instead on Dumbledore who was once again addressing the hall.

"Now for the start of year notices," Dumbledore began. "Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of banned has been extended this year to include Fanged Frisbees, Screaming Yo-yos and Ever Bashing Boomerangs. For a full list of banned items; I believe there are now 437 items on the list; you may go to Mr. Filch's office where he will give you a copy of it." Harry doubted anyone would take up the offer.

"As always," Dumbledore continued, "the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds except with permission from a teacher and first and second year students are not permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade. Older students may only visit the village on the specially designated weekends which will be announced in due course.

"I must also regret to inform you that the Inter-house Quidditch Cup competition has been cancelled this year."

"What, no way." Harry was one of several people now shouting angrily at the Headmaster. It seemed that all the houses were reacting in the same manner.

"Silence," Dumbledore shouted over the noise. The volume dropped but many people still glared angrily at him.

"The reason for this is that this year Hogwarts will be playing host to delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang Magical Schools who will be here for the newly resurrected Tri-Wizard Tournament."

All the tension in the hall after Moody's entrance was gone. Several people shouted in surprise but two voices in particular boomed out over all the rest. The Weasley twins shouted, "YOU'RE JOKING."

"I am not joking Messer's. Weasley," Dumbledore replied, "although now that you mention it, I did hear a rather excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag and a leprechaun who go into a bar…"

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly.

"Perhaps another time then, Dumbledore said. "Where was I? Ah, yes. Some of you will already know what the Tri-Wizard Tournament is but, for the benefit of the rest of you, allow me to explain.

"The Tri-Wizard was set up over 700 years ago as a friendly competition between Europe's three largest wizarding schools: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. A champion was selected from each school and they were then given a series of tasks to complete. Points were awarded for each task and, at the end, the champion with the most points declared the winner. The schools took turns to host the event once every five years, building friendly relationships between the schools. However the tournament was discontinued as a result of the increasing death among the champions."

"Death toll?" Harry asked in a startled voice. A few other people had similar reactions but the majority seemed more interested in hearing more about the tournament.

"There have been a number of attempts to reinstate the tournament over the centuries," Dumbledore continued, "but none of these have been successful, however recent efforts by our own Departments of International Magical Co-operation and Magical Games and Sports have convinced the other schools the time is now right for another attempt. We have worked hard over the summer to ensure that, this time, no champion will find himself or herself in mortal danger.

"The heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their short-listed candidates in October, and the selection of the three champions will take place on Halloween. An impartial judge will select the best candidate from each school to compete for the Tri-Wizard cup, the glory of winning and the 1000 galleons prize money."

Many students from all the tables were now talking excitedly. Many of them were clearly planning on entering. Harry noticed that even many first years were discussing it. For his part Harry was thinking that, even if he wanted to enter, there were many older students you would be better prepared. He quickly decided he didn't want to enter and focussed his attention back on Dumbledore. When the Headmaster started speaking again the excited babble quickly diminished.

"Although many of you are eager to try and bring the glory of winning the Twi-Wizard cup to Hogwarts, the Heads of the participating schools and the Ministry of Magic have agreed to pose an age restriction on competitors this year. Only students who are of age, that is 17 years or older will be allowed to enter. This" (Dumbledore had to raise his voice to be heard over the loud murmurings of outrage now being heard around the Hall) "is a measure we feel necessary given the tasks will be difficult and dangerous, despite our best attempts to mitigate the danger, and it is unlikely younger students will be able to cope with them. I will personally ensure that no underage student hoodwinks our impartial judge into making Hogwarts champion." Harry noticed Dumbledore looking directly at Fred and George Weasley as he spoke.

"The delegations will be staying with us from when they arrive until a few days after the final task. I know you will all extend every courtesy to our foreign visitors for the duration of their stay at Hogwarts. Now, it is late and I know you will all want to be ready for tomorrow's classes so, off to bed. Goodnight."

Harry joined his fellow fourth years as they got up from the table. As they walked to the Common Room he heard many people, Malfoy included, talking about the Tri-Wizard Tournament. From listening in he gathered that Lucius Malfoy had told Draco about it weeks ago. He was surprised and wondered who else knew in advance. He turned to Tracey. "Did your mother mention anything about this to you?"

"No," she replied. "Sirius didn't mention it either, I take it?"

"Not a word."

"You mean neither of you knew about this?" Draco asked. "Father heard it direct from the Minister of Magic himself. But then I suppose only important people were let into the secret."

"Or perhaps most people at the Ministry had the sense to keep their mouths shut until the embargo was lifted?" Robert Davis said from behind Draco. "Now would you like me to tell you the password or would you rather sleep in the corridor?"

Draco glared at Robert but kept quiet.

"Thank you," Robert said. "The password for this year is Salazar. First years you will need to remember this since without it you will not be able to enter the Common Room." Robert led the students into the Common Room and told the first years to sit down. He, along with the help of his fellow prefects, then explained the Slytherin 'Code of Conduct' as he called it. This was essentially the same speech the prefects had given to the first years every year since Harry had started at Hogwarts.

After listening for a while Harry decided to go to bed. In the dormitory Malfoy was still talking about the tournament only now he was guessing who would be likely to enter. Several names were mentioned and it soon became clear the two favourites were Montague and Warrington. Both were seventh years and on the Slytherin Quidditch team and Harry thought that either one would be a good candidate. He noticed that no non-Slytherins were mentioned but decided this was because this was Slytherin house and nobody wanted to mention anyone else as a candidate. As far as Harry was concerned, however, it didn't matter what house their champion was from; the only thing that mattered was winning.


	9. 9 Mad Eye Moody

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 9: Mad Eye Moody**

Classes started next day. Even though the storm had mostly blown itself out overnight Harry was relieved they didn't have Herbology, the only subject he had outside the castle until the next morning. Several of his housemates, however, had Care of Magical Creatures just before lunch. Harry was happy not to be joining them because he didn't really want to walk across the still sodden ground until it was necessary.

That evening, in the Common Room, Harry was sitting with Tracey, Daphne and Blaise doing the homework they had received that day. He was happy he was not taking Care of Magical Creatures, apparently Hagrid had acquired a type of monster no-one had ever heard of before called a Blast-Ended Skrewt and, according to Draco, even Hagrid didn't know how to handle them.

As they worked away they overheard some fifth year students talking about their DADA class. From what they heard Professor Moody was an excellent teacher and his subject material was spectacular. Out of curiosity they asked exactly what the lesson had involved.

"You expect us to tell you about our classes?" one of the fifth years' said. "Let's just say it was spectacular and we aren't likely to forget it any time soon."

"But what exactly happened?" Blaise persisted.

The older students laughed. "You'll see."

Out of curiosity Harry pulled out his timetable. "We have our first class with him on Wednesday, straight after lunch."

"Looks like we'll find out then," Daphne said. They returned to their homework but found it much harder to concentrate now than before they had talked with the fifth years'.

Wednesday morning, as they were leaving the Great Hall after breakfast, they bumped into Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Draco had received a letter from his father that morning about another article from the Daily Prophet and wasted no time in calling Ron out. "Hey Weasley, seen this?" he was waving a clipping under Ron's nose.

"Seen what, Malfoy?" Ron relied.

"More bungling at the Ministry," Malfoy began, in a loud voice. "It seems the Ministry of Magic's troubles are not over, writes Rita Skeeter, special correspondent. Recently under fire for poor crowd control at the Quidditch World Cup, and still unable to locate one of their staff who seems to have disappeared off the face of the Earth, the Ministry is facing further embarrassment after the antics of Arnold Weasley, of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts office."

Malfoy looked up. "Imagine that. Your father is so insignificant they can't even get his name right."

"At least my father has a respectable job," Ron snapped back. "What about your father? Still hanging out with his rich, layabout mates?"

Draco drew his wand and pointed it at Ron's back as Ron turned away. Harry knew things were getting out of hand. Before he could do anything, though, there was a flash of light and a loud bang. "Don't you dare, sonny," a loud voice boomed out. Looking around Harry realised the speaker was Professor Moody and he had just turned Draco into a ferret. Ron spun around.

"You think it's funny, pulling a wand on someone when their back is turned?" Moody shouted at the ferret. With another bang ferret Malfoy flew into the air and landed in a heap.

"What is going on here?" Professor McGonagall demanded.

"Teaching," Moody replied as he bounced the ferret around the hall.

"Teaching? Is that a student?" McGonagall pulled out her own wand and cancelled Moody's spell. A very battered and shaken up Draco Malfoy was now laying on the floor in a heap. Crabbe and Goyle helped him to his feet.

"My father will hear about this," Malfoy almost sobbed.

"Your father eh?" Moody said, glaring at Draco. "He's an old friend. You tell him that Mad-Eye Moody is keeping a close eye on his son, then." The tone of Moody's voice made it clear he was not a friend of Lucius Malfoy.

"Professor Moody, did the Headmaster not tell you that using transfiguration as punishment is not permitted?" McGonagall demanded.

"Might've mentioned it, yeah," Moody replied.

"We give detentions, or speak to the student's head of house.

"I'll do that, then. Your head of house is Snape, right?" Moody asked Malfoy who nodded.

"Another old friend. Well, get going, all of you. Weasley, right?" Moody asked Ron.

"Yeah, sir," Ron replied.

"Your father helped me out a few days ago. Tell him I said thanks." Moody limped away.

"Off you go then," McGonagall said. "Mr. Malfoy, perhaps you should see Madam Pomfrey about your injuries before class."

Draco ignored her, instead joining his housemates as they headed to class.

"That was so unfair," Pansy Parkinson complained as they walked. "He could have hurt Draco. I hope he gets fired for that."

"What was in that clipping you had?" Harry asked.

Draco gave him the clipping and Harry read as they walked. "Apparently on the day we caught the Hogwarts express Moody claimed someone broke into his house. Moody cast several spells from the windows and made some garbage cans fly around attacking people, including muggles. Arthur Weasley," Harry made very sure to get the name right, "was one of the first Ministry officials on the scene and got into a tussle with the muggle police who were investigating. Eventually Arthur Weasley was able to get things under control; the muggles were obliviated and Moody got off with a warning thanks to Mr Weasley."

"That explains everything, then," Tracey said. "Except why Moody hates Draco's father so much."

"Moody used to be an auror," Draco said. "He tried to have father sent to Azkaban but the charges were dropped, and rightly so, too."

Nobody believed for a moment Lucius Malfoy was innocent but Draco's explanation did solve the last part of the mystery.

That afternoon the Slytherins joined the Ravenclaws outside the DADA classroom earlier than usual. Both sets of students had heard about Moody's classes and were eager to see for themselves if they were as good as they had been told.

When Professor Moody let them in most students were eager to sit near the front of the class. Draco Malfoy, however, went straight to the back where he was joined by Crabbe, Goyle and Nott. Harry thought this was unusual because Theodore Nott normally sat near the front. Parkinson and Runcorn sat near them. Beverly Runcorn in particular had a foul look on her face although Harry had no idea why. Soon, however, Moody called for quiet and the lesson began.

"I've reviewed all the notes Professor Lupin left from last year," he began, "and it is clear you received a thorough grounding in dangerous creatures but it is also clear you have very little knowledge of what wizards can do to each-other. Therefore we are going to look at curses. I have one year to show you how to deal with dark magic before I go back to my nice quiet retirement so I recommend you pay close attention to this lesson, not to that magazine you are trying to hide from me, Miss Parkinson."

Pansy jumped in surprise as everybody in the class turned to her. Harry realised that Mad-Eye's magical eye must to able to see through wood which made him wonder what else it could see through.

"Now then, curses. According to Ministry guidelines I am supposed to teach you counter-curses and leave it at that. Professor Dumbledore, however, reckons you have more nerve and can cope with more, and I say the sooner you know what you're up against the better you can cope with them. So, do any of you know which curses are most heavily punished by Wizarding Law?"

Several students put their hands in the air but Moody ignored them. "Malfoy, do you know of any?"

Harry, along with the whole class looked at Draco who looked furious at being called out. "I have heard of something called the Imperius curse, _sir_ ," Draco said in a sarcastic voice.

"That's right," Moody replied. "I daresay your father knows all about that one." Harry wondered why Moody seemed to hate Draco so much but he was beginning to think it was because Draco's father was a suspected Death-eater. Moody, meanwhile, took a spider from a jar on his desk and pointed his wand at it while saying "Imperio."

The spider began dancing across the table. Next it started doing somersaults. Several students began laughing. "Think it is funny, do you?" Moody growled. "How would you feel if I made you do that, eh?"

The laughter stopped immediately. "Total control," Moody said. "I could make tis spider do anything. Drown itself; jump down someone's throat, anything. What is your best defence? CONSTANT VIGILANCE." Many students jumped Moody shouted that at them. He lifted the curse and put the spider back in the jar. "Right, what is another one?"

This time only a couple of hands went up. Moody pointed to a Ravenclaw boy, Anthony Goldstein, who answered, "The Cruciatus curse."

Moody took another spider out of the jar. "Needs to be a bit bigger so you can see it. Engorgio," the spider grew in size until was as big as a saucer. "Crucio," Moody said. Immediately the spider started convulsing and rolled itself into a ball. Harry could tell that, if the spider could speak it would be screaming. When Moody lifted the spell the spider lay twitching on the table.

"Reducio," Moody said causing the spider to return to normal before he put it back in the jar and turned to the class, many of whom were also shaking. "Pain," Moody said. "Agonising, unending. It can drive people insane, turn them into whimpering wrecks. How do you avoid it? Don't get hit in the first place. CONSTANT VIGILANCE."

Moody's shout startled many who shook themselves back to reality.

"Can anyone name another?" Moody asked.

Daphne raised her hand. "Avada Kedavra," she said quietly.

Moody reached into the jar took out another spider, placing it on the desk. It made a desperate attempt to escape but Moody pointed his wand at it and said, "Avada Kedavra." A green light burst from the wand hitting the spider which died instantly. Moody flicked the dead arachnid off his desk. It dropped to the floor where it lay in clear view.

"The killing curse," Moody said. "Unblockable, causes instant death. Only one person his ever survived it and he his sitting right here in front of me." Moody pointed at Harry. The entire class turned to look at him but Harry wasn't paying attention. Now he knew what that bright green flash he had dreamt about so often was. The memories which had surfaced during his encounters with dementors the previous year now made sense. He shook himself back to reality.

"Together these curses are called the Unforgivable Curses and the use of any one of them on another human being is punishable by a life sentence in Azkaban," Moody continued. "That's what you're up against and that's what I have to prepare you to face. You need preparing. You need arming but, most of all, you need to practice _constant vigilance._ Now, get your quills and copy this down."

The rest of the class was spent in silence, as they copied out notes on the Unforgivable Curses. Nobody spoke until the bell rang and they were dismissed at which point a torrent of chatter broke out. Harry stayed out of the discussion. Moody had effectively told him how his parents died and it was obvious that Moody was watching Harry closely. He couldn't help feeling uncomfortable but decided it was best to not dwell on it. Tracey nudged him, making him shake his head for a second.

"Thinking about what Moody said?" she asked.

"Yeah, I was," he replied.

"It must be a lot to take in. You should probably talk to Sirius about it. And besides Sirius may have some other information for you about the events at the World Cup and any other matters that have come up."

"Yeah, I will," Harry said. "After class this evening I'll call him and see what he knows about Moody and if he has learnt any new information about another matter. Tracey, I'd like you to be there so we can bring you completely up to date with several matters Sirius and I have been working on together recently. I'll also need to talk to Dumbledore about something but I want to speak to Sirius first."

"This should be interesting," Tracey replied. "I look forward to it."


	10. 10 Getting up to Date

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 10: Getting up to date**

That evening Harry and Tracey went into a deserted classroom where they mirror called Sirius.

"Hello Harry. How were your first days at Hogwarts?" Sirius asked.

"It has certainly been interesting," Harry replied.

"Hello, Sirius," Tracey then added.

"Hello, Tracey. How are you?" Sirius asked.

Good," she replied. "Do you know why Professor Moody seems to hate Draco Malfoy so much?"

"He's a Malfoy," Sirius replied. "Moody tried to get Lucius Malfoy sent to Azkaban but Lucius was able to convince the Wizengamot that he had been Imperiused. I personally don't believe a word of it and it seems neither does Moody."

"So it's Draco's father that Moody hates," Harry said. "That doesn't explain why Moody turned Draco into a ferret and bounced him around the Entrance Hall."

"He did what?" Sirius shouted into the mirror.

"Yeah. It was over an article in the Daily Prophet where Mr. Weasley helped Moody after someone apparently tried to break into his house. Draco was making some snarky remark about the paper getting Mr. Weasley's name wrong. Ron took up Draco's challenge and accused his father of something. Draco attacked him but Moody stepped in and attacked Draco. After Professor McGonagall intervened Moody said Ron should pass on his thanks to Mr. Weasley while saying to Draco he was going to keep an eye on him," explained Harry.

"That's no excuse," Sirius said. "I hope Dumbledore is going to talk to Moody about that."

"I hope so. Even if Lucius was a Death-eater, and he almost certainly was, that doesn't mean Draco will become one," Tracey said.

"Have you had a lesson from Moody yet?" asked Sirius.

"Yeah. Today, right after lunch. Sirius? Is Moody supposed to be demonstrating the Unforgivable Curses in class?" Harry asked.

"No. Unless, of course, Dumbledore authorised it. He does a have large degree of discretion as to what is taught. Is that what he was doing?"

"Yeah," Harry replied. "He used spiders as his test subject but it seemed so cruel." Harry felt uncomfortable talking about it, something Sirius clearly picked up on.

"After he showed us Avada Kedavra Moody said Harry was the only person to have ever survived it," Tracey said.

"How did that make you feel, Harry?" Sirius asked, the concern evident in is voice.

"It felt weird," Harry replied. "I mean, I've had dreams before about that night, especially when the dementors were near last year, and I suppose knowing exactly what they mean is good, but it just seems strange."

"Moody asked Draco what the first Unforgivable Curse was called even though Draco didn't have his hand up," Tracey said. "Did Lucius use the Imperius curse?"

"He certainly knew of it," Sirius replied. "It wouldn't surprise me in the least if Lucius had used it. Then again Lucius did claim he was under the Imperius curse. Either way I wouldn't read too much into it, although perhaps Moody was trying to trick Draco into implicating his father."

"I wonder if that was the plan," Harry said. "If it was then it failed, however."

"Sirius? Did you know about the Tri-Wizard Tournament?" Tracey asked to change the subject.

"I had heard about it," Sirius admitted. "It was embargoed until 7pm on the 1st of September which is why I couldn't talk about it."

"So my mother must have known as well," Tracey added.

"Yes. Everybody employed at the Ministry was aware of the negotiations and so she would have known at least some of the story. Like me, though, she was bound to secrecy."

"Can you tell us anything the other schools that will be competing?" Harry asked.

"I know a little about Durmstrang," Sirius said. "It doesn't have a great reputation, at least in part because one of its former students was Gellert Grindelwald. Some people claim he would have been the most evil wizard of the 20th century if Voldemort hadn't come along later. Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald in 1945 in what many people claim was the greatest dual of the century. It is claimed Grindelwald's symbol is on permanent display in the main hall of Durmstrang."

"Surely not all students at Durmstrang are evil, though, are they? Harry asked.

"No," Sirius said. "But I know that their Headmaster, Igor Karkaroff, was a follower of Voldemort. That may be why Dumbledore asked Moody to teach at Hogwarts this year; enhanced security."

"What about Beauxbatons?" Tracey asked.

"I don't know much about them, but they generally have a very good reputation, and that they are a more welcoming to muggleborns and half humans than any other school in Europe. A few families insist on their children going there even if they don't live in a Latin country."

Harry was interested in learning more about the other schools but decided to wait. He had more important questions at the present time. "How are things going around making these mirrors into proper telephones?" he asked.

"Things are coming along slowly," Sirius said. "Tracey, if everything goes according to plan you will be able to use your own phone by Christmas. It is our hope that once you, Remus and Arthur Weasley all have phones we will be able to start ironing out any problems. We still don't know what will happen when people start using the mirrors for separate conversations at the same time."

"I am looking forward to it," Tracey said. "When we get home for Christmas we can do the tests."

Sirius laughed. "I don't think you will be coming home for Christmas. There is something called the Yule Ball being held at Hogwarts this year. It is a part of the Tri-Wizard Tournament and it is expected that all students from Year 4 and up will attend. In case you're wondering, this is the reason you two had to get dress robes."

Harry was shocked. "Yule ball? As in; dancing?"

"Yes. Dancing. You seem unhappy. Tracey seems happy enough, though."

"I don't dance," Harry mumbled.

"In that case I am going to have to teach you," Tracey said, the happiness evident her voice.

Harry felt much less happy. "I think I'll pass."

"No you won't," Tracey said. "It won't be as bad as you think. And besides, once you've learnt how to dance you will fit in much better in a formal setting; and I doubt you'll be the only one learning."

"A word of advice, Harry," Sirius said. "Never disagree with a woman when it comes to dancing because she will always get her way."

Harry glanced at Tracey and saw her nodding. It looked as if he couldn't win this battle so he decided to let it go. Searching his memory he came up with a new topic of conversation.

"Does the Ministry have any leads on who cast the Dark Mark at the World Cup?"

"Unfortunately we seem to come to a dead end there," Sirius replied. "Crouch sacked his house elf and is refusing to tell us where she is now. None of the Weasleys have any idea how someone managed to get hold of Ron's wand and he has no clue as to where he lost it. Rather than waste more time and resources on that the Ministry is concentrating on other matters."

"Such as Bertha Jorkins?" Tracey asked.

"Yeah, although again we seem to have run out of leads. These two cases are the ones the Ministry asked me to back to help with, by the way. But with the Dark Mark now deemed unsolvable and no new leads regarding Bertha they have decided to let me go. As of this weekend I will be back to full-time working on the mirror phone idea."

"I assume the Ministry is still looking, though," Tracey asked. "I mean; they haven't just given up on finding her.

"No. But without any further leads there is really nothing to do. All that is known for certain is she visited her sister who lives in Albania and that she left to continue her travels through Eastern Europe. Since then, nothing."

"Do you think she is still alive?" Tracey asked.

Sirius thought for a moment before replying. "Based on what we do know, and taking into account her habits and personality, I think it is unlikely. I think she has either had an accident or has become the victim of foul play."

"You did mention Arthur Weasley had managed to get a muggle mobile phone to work around magic," Harry said, trying to get back onto a less disturbing topic, "but there were still problems, right?"

"Yes. Muggle technology and magic still don't work together. We are still trying to get a working balance but it will take time."

"I have heard people claim muggle technology and magic can never be mixed," Tracey said. "Do you really think it is possible?"

"I don't know for sure," Sirius replied. "We are working on the assumption it is possible, though. We'll just have to keep trying and hope for the best. Anyway, how are your other subjects going?"

"Okay, I guess," Harry said. "The work definitely seems harder this year."

"I'm doing well so far, but there is a lot of theory based work," Tracey added. "I hope we get some more practical work soon."

"Fourth year is where the teachers start getting stuck into you," Sirius said. "A lot of what you learn this year will lead directly into your owls next year. Most of next year's work will be based around this year so you really will need to concentrate. Do badly this year and next year will be a real struggle."

"Robert said 4th year was really bad," Tracey said. "He never mentioned anything about this, though. I always do better when there is a practical content."

"Same with me," Harry put in. "Learning new spells and the like is always better than reading about them. I hope we get to do more practical stuff soon."

"What subjects are you finding hardest?" Sirius asked. "Apart from History of Magic, of course."

Harry and Tracey both laughed. "Transfiguration and Astronomy," Harry replied.

"I find Transfiguration is my worst," Tracey said.

"Neither of you has much trouble with potions?" asked Sirius.

"Not really," Harry replied. He decided not to mention advanced potions books Tracey had found back in their second year. "Potions is really just making sure you measure everything accurately and stir it correctly. The hardest part is ignoring Snape, although he generally does leave us alone these days."

"We just follow the instructions," Tracey added. Harry knew she meant the amended instructions from their books rather than the 'official' instructions.

"What's Snape like as a teacher?"

"Not very good," Tracey said. "He may be a great potion maker but he's not much of a teacher. He should go get himself a lab somewhere and concentrate on inventing new potions."

"Well, keep trying," Sirius said. "I want the both of you to do your best. I found that you could get away with a lot at Hogwarts as long as you do well in class, although try not to get into too much trouble. There is a limit to what you can get away with, after all."

"We really should be getting back to the Common Room," Tracey said, looking at her watch. "It's nearly curfew and I doubt Snape will accept any excuse for being out too late."

"You're probably right," Sirius said. "I know what McGonagall was like when she caught us out after curfew, and I would guess Snape's at least as bad. Keep me up to date with what Moody's doing, and remember, to keep up the hard work. The better your Owls results are the more chance you'll have finding work after you leave school."

"Goodbye, Sirius. We will keep trying, and I promise to tell you anything that Moody does which is in any way questionable," Harry said.

"Bye, Sirius. And tell mum I said hi," Tracey added.

"All right then. I'll do that. Goodbye Harry, Tracey. See you next time."

The mirror went blank and Harry and Tracey headed back along the corridor to the Common Room. Both knew they would face questions from their housemates about why they had sneaked off together but they would tell them to mind their own business and leave it up to the others' own imaginations to fill in the blanks.


	11. 11 Beauxbatons and Durmstrang

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 11: Beauxbatons and Durmstrang**

Harry and his fellow students settled into their regular routine over the next few weeks. The amount and complexity of the work they were now doing was certainly higher than previously and Harry could see now why Sirius had warned them of what was to come. Several students were now starting to complain about it but then Professor Snape stepped in.

"If you wish to succeed in life," he began one day after a potions lesson, "you will need to do well in school. This means you will be expected to keep up with the workload. School is not a holiday, it is a vital step in your life. I will be very displeased with anyone whom I hear complaining about the workload and who I find is not trying their best." Nobody dared argue with him.

Nonetheless, they were still very surprised when they arrived at a DADA lesson and Professor Moody announced he would be putting them under the Imperius curse.

"But, sir; that's not legal," Draco said when he heard this.

"You can't be expected to fight something unless you know what it's like," Moody replied, glaring at Draco. "Professor Dumbledore wants you to be prepared. If you prefer, however, to learn the hard way, when someone is using for real, then you may leave. You're excused." Draco stayed where he was but Harry could tell he did so only reluctantly.

Moody then proceeded to put each of them under the Imperius curse in turn. Harry found it almost frightening what Moody could make them do. When Moody placed Crabbe under the curse Crabbe started dancing like a ballerina while Goyle started tap-dancing. Pansy Parkinson started barking like a dog when the curse was placed on her. Of the Ravenclaws the most memorable event was Terry Boot walking around the room on his hands while singing the National Anthem. Nobody seemed able to resist the effects.

Finally Moody called Harry forward. "Imperius," Moody said. Immediately Harry felt a relaxing, almost joyous sensation come over him. In his mind he heard Moody say 'Jump onto the desk.'

He was about to comply when another voice, his own, said 'Why?'

Again Moody said 'Jump onto the desk.'

'Seems kind of silly,' Harry thought. 'I don't think I want to.'

'Jump now.'

'No,' Harry's mind said.

A moment later a sharp pain flashed across Harry's mind. He blinked and realised he had started to jump but then hadn't but his momentum had carried him forward, slamming his knees into the desk. It was this pain that he had felt.

"Now that's more like it," Moody growled. "Look at that, you lot, Potter fought it and damn near beat it. That's what I was looking for. Again, Potter. Try and beat it."

Eventually Harry managed to throw off the curse completely, earning 50 points for Slytherin but at the cost of sore knees and other aches and pains. When they were dismissed Harry limped to the hospital wing. Accompanied by almost all his housemates. Madam Pomfrey gave him the appropriate potions and sent him on his way, the whole time grumbling about Moody and his practices. Apparently Harry wasn't the first to suffer an injury in Moody's classes.

"Moody's insane," Draco proclaimed after they had returned to the Common Room. "I can't believe Dumbledore is letting him do that."

Harry agreed. "My Knees are still sore, even after Madam Pomfrey's efforts."

"You're the only one who managed to fight off the curse, though," Tracey said. "And, by the way, if any of you tell anybody he had me jumping from desk to desk while flapping my arms I will curse your nose off."

There was a little stifled laughter but since they had all done something foolish nobody dared press the point.

Their other subjects were just as challenging but at least they were less painful. The only exception was Care of Magical Creatures and the continual complaints Harry heard from his housemates made him very happy he wasn't doing that subject. He was surprised to hear that Ron Weasley had come top of the class in Divination but he didn't bother asking Ron how he achieved it. Harry just decided that Weasley had got lucky.

As it was Harry was busy with his own schoolwork and, when the last week of October came around along with the first Hogsmeade visit for the year, he was almost surprised to see how much time had passed. What really caught his attention, however, was the notice that appeared on the Common Room notice board that same weekend.

 **Tri-wizard Tournament**

 _The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving at 6 o'clock on Friday 30th October. Lessens will end half an hour early at which time students will return their bags and books to their dormitories and assemble in front of the castle to greet our guests before the welcoming feast._

Potions last thing Friday," Harry said when he read the notice. "I guess that means Snape won't be able to test all our antidotes."

"You and Davis have nothing to worry about, Potter," Pansy Parkinson said as she read it as well. "You two and Nott are the top potions students, and I'm the next best. It's just a pity we won't get to see those hopeless Gryffindors suffer for their incompetence."

"Hopefully Snape will make them go first," Draco said as they left the Common Room. "That should be amusing."

"What if their antidotes don't work?" Harry asked. He was less excited about the prospect than the others seemed.

Malfoy shrugged. "Snape will save them, unfortunately."

"And so he should," Daphne said. "It is his job, after all." Tracey and most of the others nodded in agreement. Harry realised that must be true and couldn't help feeling a bit silly for having even suggested it.

Indeed Snape did test the Gryffindor's potions first. All of them worked, even Neville Longbottom's potion. Harry guessed he must have had help but that was also true for Crabbe and Goyle. Tracey, Draco, Theo and Harry had all helped them often enough to know it was the sensible option.

After Snape dismissed them the Slytherins walked the short distance to their Common Room, dropped off their bags and changed into clean robes. Snape had been insistent they should all look their best so as to create a good first impression upon meeting their visitors.

Once they were ready the prefects led them out of the castle onto the front lawn where they found several teachers already hurrying around. Professor Vector called them over and told them to line up at a specific place and stand with first years' at the front; second years' behind and so on back the seventh years. Prefects were ordered to station themselves as close as possible to the younger students so they could control them without causing too much disruption and without blocking the view of the students behind them. The other houses were also given the same instructions. The way things were arranged the Slytherins were between the Gryffindors who were at one end and the Ravenclaws with the Hufflepuffs at the other end.

The weather was cold and clear and Harry soon found himself hoping their guests would arrive soon so they could get back into the warm castle. He heard someone say, "Nearly six," at which point people began speculating on how they would arrive. Somebody suggested broomsticks which Harry thought was the most practical but he immediately realised not everyone was proficient on a broom.

He was interrupted by Dumbledore saying, "Unless I am very much mistaken, I believe the delegation from Beauxbatons is approaching."

People were asking where and looking all around when a sixth year suddenly called, "There." And pointed into the sky.

A huge object was hurtling through the sky. Somebody shouted "It's a dragon." Apparently a first year had panicked.

"Don't be silly. It's a flying house," another first year, a Gryffindor, shouted. Harry looked carefully and realised the Gryffindor was almost right. It was actually a carriage the size of a house and it was being pulled by enormous winged horses.

The front three rows of students all pulled back as one as the carriage descended towards the lawn where they waited. Harry could understand why; the carriage was approaching at tremendous speed and he was unsure about its breaking ability. It hit the ground with a loud crash, bouncing on its wheels as the horses' hooves also came down. A cry nearby distracted Harry and he glanced around, realising that Neville Longbottom had just trodden on the foot of a Slytherin fifth year nearby. Meanwhile the carriage had stopped and a door in the side had opened. A page boy stepped out and fumbled with something before stepping away from a set of golden steps.

An enormous woman, at least as tall as Hagrid, stepped down from the carriage and, after looking around briefly, started walking towards Dumbledore who started clapping. Taking their Headmaster's lead many students and staff joined in the applause. She smiled graciously and approached Dumbledore, extending a hand covered in jewels which he kissed, barely needing to stoop to do so.

"My dear Madame Maxime, welcome to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said.

"Dumbly-dorr," she replied in a deep voice, "I hope I find you well?"

"On excellent form, thank you," he replied.

"My pupils," Maxime said, waving behind her.

Harry could know see around a dozen boys and girls had emerged from the carriage and formed up behind their Headmistress. They seemed to be shivering; not surprising Harry thought since their robes appeared to be made of silk and none of them had cloaks. Harry returned his attention to Madame Maxime.

"Has Karkaroff arrived?" she asked.

"He should be here any moment," Dumbledore said. "Would you like to wait for him here or inside?"

"Inside, I think. It is rather cold out here," Maxime said. "But my horses…"

"Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher will be delighted to take care of them as soon as he returns from dealing with a situation with some of his other charges."

"My steeds require forceful handling. They are very strong," Maxime countered.

"So is Hagrid," Harry said quietly.

Once Madame Maxime was satisfied with the arrangements she led her students towards the castle and through the Main Entrance.

Several students began discussing whether Durmstrang would arrive in the same manner while others were speculating if some of Hagrid's blast-ended Skrewts may have gotten loose. Soon the chatter died down and there was only silence until…

"Can you hear something?" Ron Weasley asked.

Harry listened. Soon he realised there was an unusual sound coming from somewhere nearby. It sounded like a muffled rumbling/sucking sound not dissimilar to a vacuum cleaner.

"The lake," a 6th year Gryffindor named Lee Jordan shouted. Everyone looked and saw a series of waves radiating out from a certain spot and breaking against the shore. At the spot where the waves were coming from a whirlpool suddenly appeared and, out of the whirlpool came an old style sailing ship complete with masts and rigging. The ship moved toward the shore. In the moonlight it looked to Harry like the classic ghost ship complete with misty lights coming from inside the hull.

The ship stopped moving and lowered an anchor to the lakebed. A wooden plank was then lowered to the shore and people began to disembark. All the passengers appeared huge and muscular but then Harry realised they were all wearing thick cloaks. One in particular stood out. The wearer of a silvery cloak approached the Headmaster.

"Dumbledore," the man said in a thick, unctuous voice. "How are you, my dear fellow?"

"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff," he replied.

'So that is Karkaroff,' Harry thought. He remembered Sirius mentioned his name back during their mirror call in the first week of term and that he had been a follower of Lord Voldemort and he realised Dumbledore must also be aware of this fact. Harry guessed Dumbledore's response was purely a matter of politeness rather than respect.

"Dear old Hogwarts," Karkaroff said, surprising Harry. Did this mean Karkaroff had been here before, perhaps as a pupil? "How good it is to be here. Viktor, come along, into the warmth, you don't mind Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight cold."

Harry looked at the student Karkaroff was addressing and gasped. It was Viktor Krum.


	12. 12 Announcing the Champions

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 12: Announcing the Champions**

Harry, along with many of his fellow Hogwarts students stared in amazement.

"Viktor Krum is still at school?" an unnamed student said loudly enough to draw a rebuke from Professor McGonagall.

"Be quiet; and stop staring at him," she snapped.

Many other students were also commenting. It seemed several girls were hunting for quills and parchment and Harry clearly heard one girl say, "I wonder if he'll sign my scarf with my lipstick." Daphne, Tracey and some others tried to suppress their laughter; not entirely successfully, though.

After the Durmstrang group had entered the castle the Hogwarts students were allowed to do the same, heading to their respective house tables. Harry noticed the Beauxbatons students had already taken seats at the Ravenclaw table but the Durmstrang students were still milling about. He could see students at all the tables trying to entice the Durmstrang students to join them. Eventually they settled at the Slytherin table where Malfoy immediately tried to engage Krum in conversation. Apparently, however, Krum's English wasn't the best. Harry was surprised he could even speak English and couldn't help wondering where and how he had learnt it.

Once everyone was settled Dumbledore stood to address the Hall. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Ghosts and especially our guests," he began, smiling broadly. "It is my great pleasure to welcome you to Hogwarts. I trust your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable."

At this point one of the Beauxbatons girls gave what was clearly laugh of derision.

"You can always go home, you know," Pansy sniped from nearby. Harry thought several students at the other tables were in agreement with her.

"The tournament officially begins at the end of the feast," Dumbledore continued, ignoring the interruption, "I now invite you to eat, drink and make yourselves at home."

As soon as Dumbledore sat down Karkaroff engaged him in conversation.

The dishes filled with food as usual but this time Harry noticed there were several dishes he was not familiar with. Obviously the house elves were going the extra mile to make their foreign guests feel at home. One particular dish he was not familiar with stood right next to the roast beef platter he was intending to serve himself from. He asked, "What is this one?"

"It's called 'Bouillabaisse,'" Daphne said. "It's really quite tasty, if you like shellfish."

Harry decided to try a small portion but soon decided he preferred steak.

As the meal progressed he noticed the Durmstrang students had removed the heavy robes they had arrived in, revealing robes that were a deep, blood-red colour. The Beauxbatons students wore robes of pale blue silk. Even though there were only around two dozen more students the different colours gave Harry the feeling the Great hall was much more crowded than usual. He also noticed the Beauxbatons students in particular preferred the food they were familiar with, even to the extent of visiting other tables to try and get more of it. The Durmstrang students, in contrast, were happily eating whatever they could get.

Mid way through the meal Hagrid sidled into the Hall through the side entrance behind the staff table. Harry noticed Hagrid's fingers were bandaged and commented on it. Draco Malfoy replied it seemed the Skrewts had finally found a food they liked – Hagrid's fingers. This reminded Harry that a recent Care of Magical Creatures lesson had centred on finding what they ate. Once again he was happy he wasn't taking that subject.

As he was looking at the staff table Harry noticed two empty seats. As he was watching two men entered through the same door Hagrid entered through. He recognised one of them as Ludo Bagman, the commentator from the World Cup final. The other man was new to him. Before he could ask you it was, though, Draco answered the question. "Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman. I assume they are here because it's their two departments that have been putting in all the hard work to get the Tri-Wizard Tournament reinstated."

The desserts now arrived. As with the main courses there were a number of dishes Harry wasn't familiar with. This time, though, he settled for what he already knew he liked choosing treacle tart and cream gateau. As had happened before the Durmstrang students were happy with whatever they could get while the Beauxbatons students seemed to concentrate on what they were familiar with.

After everybody had finished eating Dumbledore stood up again. Harry could feel the rising levels of tension in the hall as they all waited expectantly for the Headmaster to begin.

"The time has come," he said, looking at the faces of all the students before him. "The Tri-Wizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation, before we bring in the casket, just to clarify the procedure we will be following this year. But firstly, let me introduce, for those of you who do not know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch; Head of the Department of International Magical Co-operation, (there was a brief smattering of applause) and Mr. Ludo Bagman; Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."

There was a much louder round of applause for Bagman, perhaps because of his fame as a former star Beater for the England national Quidditch team, or simply because he looked much more likable. He acknowledged the applause with a wave. Crouch, however, did not smile or wave to the Hall.

"Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have worked tirelessly for several months on arrangements for the Tri-Wizard tournament," Dumbledore continued, "and will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff and Madam Maxime on the judging panel for the tournament."

The Hall had gone very still and Dumbledore, perhaps having noted this, asked Filch to bring in the casket. That done Dumbledore resumed speaking. "The rules for the tasks have been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman and they have made all necessary arrangements for each of the three challenges. These will occur one in each term and will test the champions in different ways: magical prowess, daring, powers of deduction and their ability to cope with danger."

The silence in the hall was absolute. Nobody even seemed to be breathing.

"As you know there is one champion from each school. They will be marked on how well they perform each task and the competitor with the highest total after the last task will be declared the champion and the winner of the Tri-Wizard tournament, and the 5000 Galleon prize money. These champions will be chosen by…"

Dumbledore tapped the casket three times with his wand. It creaked open and he reached inside it, and pulled out a large, roughly hewn wooden cup full of dancing, blue-white flames. "The Goblet of Fire," he announced loudly. He closed the lid and placed the Goblet on top.

"Anybody who wished to submit their name for consideration must write their name and their school clearly on a piece of parchment and drop it in the Goblet," Dumbledore continued. "You will have 24 hours from now in which to do so. The champions will be announced tomorrow evening after the Halloween feast. The Goblet will be placed in the Entrance Hall where everybody will have free access to it: provided, of course, you are 17 or older. To ensure no underage student attempts to place themselves into consideration I will be placing an age line around the Goblet once it has been placed in the Entrance Hall.

"Finally, I must impress upon you all that this tournament is not to be taken lightly. Once a champion has been selected he or she is obliged to see the Tournament through to the end. Placing your name in the Goblet constitutes a binding magical contract. Once you are selected you cannot change your mind or back out. Please ensure, therefore, you whole-heartedly want to play, before you enter. Now then, time for bed. Good night to you all."

That night there was much speculation as to who the Hogwarts champion would be. As with the last time the topic was discussed only the names of Slytherin students were mentioned, with Montague and Warrington were clearly the favourites. Harry didn't join in this discussion, partly because it didn't really interest him but mainly because he thought it unlikely it would be a Slytherin anyway. The most likely candidate, he thought, would be Cedric Diggory from Hufflepuff.

Next day was a Hogsmeade visit. Harry and Tracey had arranged to meet with Sirius at Madam Rosmerta's at noon. The last time they had spoken via the mirrors Sirius had said they were ready for the next step in trialling the new mirror format meaning, instead of just two mirrors tied to each other or all mirror holders being able to participate in all conversations, it was now possible to select specific people while allowing two other people to hold a separate conversation at the same time using their mirrors.

They entered the bar just before midday and found Sirius sitting at a table with Remus Lupin. After getting drinks they sat down with them and Sirius gave Tracey a mirror. Remus had one as well.

"Today we are going to use the mirror phones to hold separate conversations," Sirius explained. "If everything goes as we think you two should be able have a conversation at the same time Remus and I are having a separate one. To activate the mirror say the name of the person you want to speak to."

Harry said, "Tracey Davis." Immediately Harry's voice could be heard coming from Tracey's mirror.

"Hello, Harry." Tracey replied. Remus and Sirius checked their mirrors and confirmed neither of them could hear what was being said.

"Good so far," Sirius said. "You two keep talking while I call Remus." Sirius then spoke into his mirror, "Remus Lupin."

Lupin replied and for the next several seconds the two conversations proceeded without interruption. Once all were finished Sirius said, "That's perfect. All we need to do now is register the idea and our enterprise is up and running. Madam Bones is helping with that so it is only a matter of time before we can make them available to the general wizarding public. The mirrors are all numbered, by the way. Mine is number 1; Harry's is number 2; Remus has number 3; Arthur Weasley has number 4 and Tracey, yours is number 5. I gave one to Arthur Weasley because he has been a real help with some of the development we have been doing lately."

"Thank you, Sirius," Tracey said. Now I can talk to any of you whenever I want to."

"That is the point of the exercise," Remus said. "I best be getting back home. It's good to see the two of you again."

"Remember I want to know who the champions are; and be careful around Karkaroff. He is a former Death-eater and I don't trust him."

"We'll be in touch," Harry said as he and Tracey got up from the table. "See you later."

"Bye, Sirius, Professor Lupin," Tracey added as they left.

That evening nobody seemed all that interested in the Halloween feast. Clearly most people were waiting for the announcement of the champions who would be competing in the Tri-Wizard Cup. Once Crouch and Bagman arrived and had taken their seats at the staff table Dumbledore stood to address the hall.

"The Goblet is about to be brought into the hall," he announced. Shortly thereafter we will know who the lucky students who will be competing for the Cup are."

Filch carried the Goblet to the staff table and placed it in front of Dumbledore. The light in the hall were lowered until the flames from the Goblet shine like a beacon. Suddenly the flames turned red and sparks were emitted. Then a single piece of parchment flew out. Dumbledore caught it and read it before saying, "The Champion for Durmstrang is Viktor Krum."

Krum got up from the table and walked toward the staff table accompanied by loud applause. Karkaroff could be clearly heard shouting, "Bravo, Viktor," as Krum walked through the door into an adjoining chamber.

Once the applause had died down and people had refocussed on the Goblet it again burned bright red and another piece of parchment shot into the air. Dumbledore announced, "The Champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour."

Fleur Delacour turned out to be the girl who had laughed the previous evening during Dumbledore's speech. For a moment, however, Harry didn't care about that. He was more interested in the gorgeous blonde now approaching the staff table. Then he blinked and shook his head. He realised the feeling was the same as he had received from the Veela at the World Cup. "That girl isn't human," he said.

"She must be part human," Tracey corrected, "Otherwise she wouldn't allowed to learn magic. I think is probably part Veela, though." They watched as she entered the same chamber Krum had entered previously.

Tensions were now at their highest level. Soon the Goblet burned red again and another piece of parchment shot out. Dumbledore called, "The champion for Hogwarts is Cedric Diggory."

The Hufflepuff table exploded in cheers while at the Slytherin table many loud groans could be heard. Harry personally didn't care but he knew many of his housemates did. Harry clapped politely as Cedric joined the other champions in the next chamber.

Dumbledore started speaking again but suddenly the Goblet burned red for a 4th time, and another piece of parchment shot out. Dumbledore caught it and stared at it for several seconds before saying, "Harry Potter."


	13. 13 What Happened?

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 13: What Happened?**

The hall was silent. Harry sat, dumbstruck. Professor Dumbledore looked directly at him. "Harry? If you please?"

Harry stood up. He could now hear some muttering from around the room. Suddenly Draco started clapping loudly, making Harry jump. Belatedly many other Slytherins joined but nobody seated at any other table did. He made his way to the front of the hall where he looked Snape directly in the eye. He hoped his Head of House would show him some support but all he got back was a blank stare. Instead he turned to Dumbledore.

"Join the others please, Harry," the Headmaster said. Reluctantly he walked toward the door and passed through into the chamber where the champions waited.

"What is it?" Fleur asked. "Do they want us back in ze hall?"

Krum and Cedric both looked at him, curious. Harry didn't know what to say or do. Just then Professor Dumbledore entered the chamber, closely followed by Maxime, Karkaroff, Crouch, Bagman and Snape.

"Extraordinary," Ludo Bagman said as he took Harry by the arm. "Lady and gentleman, allow me to introduce the fourth champion."

Cedric and Krum both eyed them suspiciously. "Very funny joke, Meester Bagman," Fleur said, tossing her hair and showing an unfriendly smile.

"Joke?" Bagman said, sounding confused. "No, no, not at all. Harry's name just came out of the Goblet of Fire."

"Evidently there has been a mistake," Fleur continued, looking even angrier. "He cannot compete; 'e is too young."

"Well, it is amazing. But the age restriction only came into effect this year as an extra precaution. But, having been drawn out he is now obliged to compete. Isn't that right, Barty?"

Crouch, who until now had been a silent observer, started slightly then responded, "We must follow the rules. Potter's name has been drawn out of the Goblet of Fire so now he must compete."

"C'est impossible. Madame Maxime, surely this is not allowed," Fleur said.

Madame Maxime, who was now standing to her full height demanded, "Dumbledore is this your idea of a joke?"

"My dear Madame Maxime, I am just as concerned about this as you are," Dumbledore said. "My age line should have prevented anybody under the age of 17 from entering. Harry? Did you put your name in the Goblet?"

"No," Harry replied.

"Did you ask an older student to put your name in the Goblet on your behalf?"

"No. I don't know how it happened." Harry was on the verge of panic. He turned to Professor Snape, hoping Snape believed him.

"I demand the right to resubmit the names of the rest of my students," Karkaroff said, loudly.

"I'm afraid it doesn't work like that," Dumbledore replied. "The Goblet has gone out and it won't reignite until the next tournament."

"At which Durmstrang will not be competing," Karkaroff shouted. "After all our meetings and negotiations and compromises. I have half a mind to leave now."

"Empty threat, Igor," Moody said as he entered the room. "You still have your champion who is obliged to compete like all the others; unless, of course, you intend abandoning him. He, like all the champions, has entered a binding magical contract. Convenient, eh."

"Convenient?" Karkaroff asked. "I'm afraid I don't understand you." Karkaroff was trying to remain calm and disdainful but his balled fists gave him away.

"Don't you?" Moody growled. "Clearly somebody put Potter's name in the Goblet knowing he would have to compete if it came out."

"Evidently, someone 'oo wished to give 'Ogwarts two bites at the apple," Madame Maxime said.

"I quite agree, Madam Maxime," Karkaroff said with a bow to her. "I shall be lodging complaints with the Ministry of Magic and with the International Confederation of Wizards…"

"If anyone's got reason to complain it's Potter but I don't hear him complaining." Moody growled.

"I don't want to compete," Harry said quickly, before anyone else could speak.

"You don't?" Cedric said, speaking for the first time.

"No. I know I haven't learnt enough and I don't want to face this level of danger, or hostility. Even if I was old enough I wouldn't have entered." Harry was already thinking of the likely reactions of his fellow students, especially the Hufflepuffs.

"Well… as Barty has said anyone whose name is drawn out is obliged to compete," Bagman said. He was rapidly looking around at all the people in the room. "Barty. Perhaps you should go over the instructions for the first task now."

"Instructions, yes," Crouch began. "The first task is designed to test your daring so we won't be telling you what it is. Courage in the face of the unknown is an important quality in a wizard. The first task will take place on November the 24th, in front of the other students and the panel of judges.

"The champions are not permitted to ask for or accept any kind of help from their teachers to complete the tasks in the Tournament. The champions will face the 1st challenge armed only with their wands. They will receive further information about the 2nd task after the first one. Owing to the demanding and time consuming nature of the Tournament the champions are exempt from end-of-year exams.

"I think that's all, Albus," Crouch concluded.

"I think so," Dumbledore said, looking at Crouch with a look of concern. "Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay at Hogwarts tonight, Barty?"

"No, Dumbledore, I must get back to the Ministry," Crouch replied. "I left young Weatherby in charge and things are very busy at the moment."

"You must mean Percy Weasley," Dumbledore corrected. "Will you at least come up and have a drink before you leave?"

"Come on Barty, I'm staying," Bagman put in. "It's all happening here at Hogwarts now."

"I think not, Ludo," snapped Crouch. Harry thought he sounded annoyed.

"Professor Karkaroff; Madame Maxime, a nightcap?" Dumbledore asked.

Madame Maxime, however, took Fleur by the shoulder and steered her out while speaking in French while Karkaroff beckoned Krum and they immediately left in silence.

"Harry, Cedric, I suggest you both go to your Common Rooms," Dumbledore said, smiling at both of them. "I am quite certain Slytherin and Hufflepuff are waiting to celebrate with you."

"Potter, please accompany me to my office," said Professor Snape, who until now had remained silent.

Harry walked from the chamber with Snape. Once they reached his office Snape turned to Harry.

"I can see from your reactions and from your claim of unwillingness to compete that you do not wish to take part; however you must. And, as a representative of Slytherin house I expect you to do your best. It is possible to appear to attempt the tasks with all your resources while trying to simply stay safe but you will still need to try. Remember you have other resources at your disposal, for example, your friends, and I recommend you utilise them fully. You may go."

"Thank you, sir," Harry replied as he left.

Harry returned to the Common Room hoping he could just go to bed and wake up in the morning to find it was only a bad dream. The moment he entered, however, it became all too apparent it was not a dream.

"Congratulations, Harry Potter; Hogwarts champion," several students shouted.

Harry was half dragged to a couch in the centre of the room. Somebody, a 6th year he thought, handed him a glass of what turned out to be fire-whiskey. He coughed and spluttered as the strong alcohol flowed down his throat. Somebody else gave him a cream cake while others lined up to supply him with more food and drink.

After several minutes Harry finally managed to convince the crowd he was tired. Hurrying up to his dormitory he hoped to finally get some peace and quiet but he found Tracey sitting on his bed. As soon as he entered she stood up and walked up to him. She grabbed his wrists and stood face to face. He was startled to see the intense look on her face. Her dark brown eyes seemed to bore into him.

"Did you put your name in the Goblet?" Tracey demanded.

"No," he replied, wondering what she was doing.

"Did you ask somebody else to do it for you?"

"No. I don't know how my name got in there. I don't even want to compete." Harry was feeling very nervous, wondering what was happening.

Tracey stared into his face for several seconds before releasing his wrists and wrapping her arms around him. "I believe you," she said before kissing him squarely on the lips.

Harry wrapped his arms around her and tried to relax.

"Get a room, you two." Harry and Tracey were startled by Draco's voice and quickly pulled apart.

"I was just telling Harry I believed him when he said he didn't put his name in the Goblet," Tracey said while glaring at Draco and the rest of the 4th year boys who were all standing behind him.

"Whatever," Draco said as he pushed past them. "Just so long as we don't have to cheer for some dumb Hufflepuff as our champion we're happy. Potter, you have the full backing of everyone in Slytherin. Now, if you don't mind, Davis, we would like to go to bed."

Tracey led Harry out of the dormitory. "You need to call Sirius now," she said when they were alone. "I've already spoken to him and he's not happy."

"Right, thanks," he replied. He pulled out his mirror phone as Tracey walked back toward the Common Room. "Sirius Black," he said.

Sirius replied immediately. "Harry, what is going on there?"

"Somebody put my name in the Goblet of Fire. I don't know who or why but now I'm being forced to compete in the Tri-Wizard Tournament even though I don't want to."

"I'm outside Hogwarts right now and I'm going to speak to Dumbledore as soon as possible," Sirius said. "There must be something that can be done about this. Nobody should be forced to take part in this type of event if they're not willing."

"According to Barty Crouch I have to compete because my name was drawn out during the selection process. He said it's in the rules."

"I am going to do everything I can to protect you, Harry, and that includes trying to find a loophole to get you out of it. I will call you in the morning around 9 o'clock with the outcome. Until then do nothing. Understand?"

"Yes, Sirius, "Harry replied. The mirror went blank.

Harry returned to his dormitory and changed for bed. He lay there for what seemed like hours, unable to get to sleep. He hoped Sirius would be able to find something that could get him out of this mess but he wasn't confident. Eventually he managed to fall asleep but his dreams were punctuated by different frightening events. When he woke up the following morning he felt as if he hadn't had any sleep at all. He was tired and was not looking forward to the day ahead.

"Morning, Harry. Sleep well?" Blaise asked.

"Morning, Blaise. Not really," Harry replied.

"Morning, Harry, all ready to face the school?" Draco asked.

"Definitely not," Harry said. He sighed. "I might as well get it over with, though."

All six boys walked down to breakfast together. They were joined by all the 4th year girls and nearly half of the other students, including Robert, as they left the Common Room.

The group entered the Hall and sat down. The first thing Harry noticed was that the Durmstrang students, who had previously taken their meals with the Slytherins, were now sitting at the Gryffindor table. He glanced at them but he caught the eye of Ron Weasley who promptly made a rude gesture which Harry chose to ignore.

Deciding to concentrate solely on his food he began eating but found he wasn't very hungry. Tracey noticed this and placed a large bowl of porridge in front of him. "You're not leaving this table until you have finished, understand?" she said.

"Yes, Tracey," he said, earning some snickers from the others.


	14. 14 The Weighing of the Wands

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 14: The Weighing of the Wands**

He did manage to finish the bowl and promptly got up to leave. As he did so many other students also stood up. He realised he was not going to have much alone time over the next several days but shrugged it off. When they returned to the Common Room he finally managed to get away from the crowd, although Tracey and Blaise insisted on joining him.

Blaise was surprised to hear Sirius' voice suddenly come from Harry's pocket. He watched, fascinated, as Harry pulled out the two way mirror.

"Hello, Sirius. Any luck?"

"I talked to Dumbledore last night," Sirius began. "Ludo Bagman was there as well and he told me much of what you had already said. Dumbledore said he wasn't happy about it either but that there is nothing he can do. Bagman insisted the rules had to be obeyed and there was no option. Unfortunately, you are going to have to compete."

"Right," Harry replied disappointed.

"I am going to speak to Fudge and Crouch but I doubt they will be able to help. Madam Bones has said she will be stationing aurors at Hogwarts and they will conduct a full investigation. This whole incident is a disaster and when it gets into the papers there will be even more controversy.

"I am staying at Hogwarts until further notice. Dumbledore has arranged for me to stay in one of the guest rooms usually reserved for visiting dignitaries so I will be nearby. If you want to talk use the mirror to call me first and I'll meet you. Students aren't allowed in that part of the castle."

"That's a relief," Harry said. "Knowing you're nearby will certainly help me relax."

"Sirius?" Tracey asked. "Is there anything you personally can do to help?"

"Well; I'm not a teacher so I'm not covered by the rule about not offering help or advice, so there is that. And, of course, there are other options, although I daresay I will be watched while I'm here. I doubt I will be allowed to wander around too much in the lead up to the tasks.

"Having said that, I will certainly help you any way I can. You can ask me anything about the tournament and I'll see what I can do to help. Most importantly, keep yourself safe."

"Thank you, Sirius," Harry replied. "I'll keep that in mind. I guess I should get back to the Common Room now. See you later."

"Goodbye Harry; goodbye, Tracey." The mirror went blank.

"Okay. What exactly is that?" Blaise asked.

"This is a new invention Sirius and Professor Lupin have been working on," Harry explained. "Originally it was Sirius and my father who invented them and now we are working on a way to make them available to the general wizarding public."

"I've got one too," Tracey added pulling her mirror phone out.

"Who else has one?"

"Professor Lupin and Mr. Weasley," Tracey said.

"More are being made, though," Harry added. "All going well they should be available to anyone who wants them within a year."

"I will definitely be buying one," Blaise said, the look of envy on his face all too clear.

{}{}{}

The next morning, Monday, saw classes resume. Harry knew he would have to face the rest of the school and wasn't looking forward to it but it was unavoidable.

When Harry was walking to class he noticed Crabbe and Goyle seemed to be following him. Since they all had Charms this wasn't really surprising but they would normally stay by Malfoy. As they left, however, Crabbe and Goyle again seemed to be following them.

"Why are the two of you staying so close to me?" Harry asked.

"Malfoy told us to keep an eye on you," Crabbe said. Goyle nodded.

"Why?"

"He thought some of the other students might want to hurt you," Goyle said.

As the week wore on Harry became increasingly aware of the anger being directed toward him by students from the other houses, especially Gryffindors. There were no major incidents, however, until potions class on Friday afternoon. As the students were lining up waiting for Snape to allow them to Ron Weasley stepped up to confront Harry.

"Potter, we all know you entered just so you could get even more glory for yourself," Ron said.

"If you believe that then you're even dumber than you look," Harry retorted. "I did not put my name in; somebody else did. I don't even want to compete."

"Don't lie, Potter. We all know you're an attention seeker. You just want everything for yourself." Most Gryffindors nodded in agreement.

"Back off, Weasley," Harry replied. Behind him the rest of the Slytherins were readying themselves for a fight.

Just then Professor Snape flung the door open. "What is going on here?" he demanded.

"Just a friendly discussion," Harry said without taking his eyes off Ron.

"In that case get in here and sit down; all of you," Snape said.

The class filed in and took their seats. The whole time Snape watched them closely; especially Ron.

"Antidotes," Snape said once all were seated. "Today we are going to test the recipes you prepared last week. When they have been properly brewed we will test them on someone." Snape was staring intently at Ron.

Before he could go any further, however, there was a knock on the door. "Enter," Snape said.

Malcolm Baddock, a Slytherin first year, entered. "Excuse me, Professor, but I've been asked to take Harry Potter to Mr. Bagman. He's upstairs with the other champions and they need Potter for some publicity photos."

Harry groaned. 'Great, more attention,' he thought.

"Can this not wait until after class?" Snape demanded.

"No, sir. It will take the rest of the day to complete so he has to come now."

"Very well," Snape said. "Potter, take your things and go."

Harry packed up and followed Malcolm to one of the disused upstairs classrooms. Along the way they talked. It was obvious to Harry, however, that Malcolm was somewhat overawed by him and he was happy when they arrived. At least until he entered the room, that was.

He had barely gotten through the door and seen that the others were already there when a tall, blonde woman he had never seen before swooped on him like a hawk. "You must be Harry. I wonder, could I have a little talk with you before the weighing of the wands?"

"The what?" Harry asked.

"It's an official check to ensure your wands are fully functional since, in the upcoming tasks, your wand is your most important tool," Bagman explained. "By the way, Harry, this is Rita Skeeter. She will be doing a small piece on the Tournament for the Daily Prophet."

"Maybe not that small, Ludo," Skeeter replied without taking her eyes off Harry. "So, about that little chat, Harry? Shall we go?"

"Er-," said Harry.

"Wonderful! This way."

Rita dragged Harry a short distance down the corridor to what turned out to be a broom cupboard. After improvising seats for herself and Harry and setting up a quill so it stood vertically on a page, she began asking questions.

"So, what was it that made you decide to enter?"

"I didn't," Harry replied.

"Oh come now," Rita said "we know you shouldn't have entered but you did. They cannot take that from you. How do you feel now you've been chosen?"

Harry was distracted by the quill which was dancing across the page writing of its own accord.

"Don't worry about that, Harry. It's just taking notes based on what you say."

Harry, however, was reading what the quill was writing and these 'notes' bore resemblance to what he was saying.

"An ugly scar, a souvenir of a tragic past, disfigures the otherwise charming face of Harry Potter…"

"Ignore the quill, Harry," Rita said, noticing this. "How do feel about the upcoming challenges? Nervous? Excited?"

"I don't know. Nervous, I guess."

"Champions have died in the past, haven't they? Have you thought about that?"

"No, although they say it will be safer this year," Harry replied.

"You've looked death in the face before, haven't you? How would you say that has affected you?" All the time the quill was dashing across the page. Harry wasn't sure but he thought it was writing a lot of things nobody had said.

"Er…" he said.

"Do you think an urge to prove yourself is the reason you decided to enter?" Rita asked without waiting for his reply to her previous question.

"I didn't enter," Harry said loudly.

"Can you remember your parents at all?" Rita asked, completely ignoring Harry.

"Er…" Harry said as the quill started another long paragraph. Looking down he saw some of what it was writing. The most recent paragraph read:

'Tears fill his startling green eyes as our conversation turns to his parents.'

"I do not have tears in my eyes," Harry said angrily.

Suddenly the cupboard door was pulled open causing Harry to look around blinking. Albus Dumbledore was standing there, looking in at them.

"Dumbledore," Rita cried; looking, and failing, to give an appearance of delight. Harry noticed the quill and parchment had vanished from between them. "How are you? I hope you saw my article about the International Confederation of Wizards?"

"Delightfully nasty. I particularly enjoyed your description of me as an obsolete dingbat," he replied.

"Well, you have to admit some of your ideas are a little old-fashioned," Rita said.

"I'm sure you have a reason for your rudeness, but for now Harry must return to the room for the Weighing of the Wands. If you would please join me, Harry."

Harry happily followed Dumbledore back to the room. The champions and judges who didn't know Mr. Ollivander were then introduced to him. He would be the person inspecting their wands.

"Mademoiselle Delacour, would you please come forward first," Mr. Ollivander said.

As he examined their wands he described each in turn. Fleur's wand was revealed to contain a Veela hair; apparently from her grandmother. Harry decided to share that piece of information with his housemates when he returned to the Common Room.

Krum's wand had been made by a wand-maker named Gregorovitch. Apparently Gregorovitch was a highly respected wand-maker from Eastern Europe and his wands were regarded as being as good as Ollivander's.

Ollivander was especially pleased with Cedric's wand and happily talked about it for longer than for the other's wands.

When Ollivander checked Harry's wand he described it to all but Harry was relieved when he didn't mention that it was the brother wand of Lord Voldemort's.

Once the ceremony was over Harry hoped he could leave but Ludo Bagman reminded them they were supposed to be taking publicity photos of the champions. It turned out these took a very long time as the photographer had trouble getting everything right. Madam Maxime towered over everyone else and it took some time to get the balance sorted.

That was then followed by individual shots but eventually he was able to go and have dinner. In the Great Hall he described what had happened, mentioning the fact Fleur Delacour was indeed part Veela and including the private interview he had endured with Rita Skeeter.

"So Fleur is a part Veela," Tracey said when she heard this. "And I don't doubt Skeeter's article will be its usual tripe. Have you had a chance speak to Sirius yet?"

"That's next on my list. That meeting went on so long I came straight here to get something to eat," Harry replied.

After he (and half of Slytherin) left the Hall he took Tracey aside for some privacy. They agreed Draco should join them so he was fully up to date with the mirror phone program as well.

What's the latest?" Sirius asked when he replied to Harry's call.

Harry repeated to Sirius everything that had gone on at the meeting, and with what had happened with Rita Skeeter's interview. Sirius agreed that Rita's article would probably be full of lies and exaggerations but, unfortunately, it was likely many people would believe it. Sirius said he would speak to Dumbledore but he doubted it would be possible to do anything about it.

"The most important thing for you, Harry, and for your friends is to stick together. You have the first task coming up in a few weeks and your priority is your own safety. Study hard; find out as much as you can and don't take unnecessary risks. Remember you have to compete but you don't have to win. If you can find an out that won't penalise you in any way take it. Understand?"

"Yes Sirius. I promise I will do my best to avoid injury," Harry said before ending their conversation.


	15. 15 There Be Dragons

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 15: There Be Dragons**

Draco wasn't exactly delighted with Sirius' advice but he accepted it. "I don't understand. What is the point of playing unless you intend to win?" he asked.

"The Tri-Wizard Tournament is not a game," Harry replied. "One mistake could be fatal so I'm going to do my best until it gets too dangerous then I'm going to play safe."

"I suppose that does make sense," Draco said. "I guess now we wait to see what Skeeter wrote."

The article came out the following week and it was as bad as they had expected. It focused on Harry and barely mentioned anything about the tournament. Cedric Diggory's name was omitted altogether while the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang champions were only mentioned in passing. The worst thing about it, however, was that almost everything about Harry was made up. The article, in fact, was so bad that Mrs. Malfoy wrote to Harry saying she was going to complain to the Daily Prophet and demand a retraction. Mrs. Davis also wrote to Harry saying she didn't believe any of it and would be asking the Ministry to investigate why the Daily Prophet allowed such an obviously fake article to be published.

Unfortunately many other people did believe what was written, as evidenced by several letters the paper printed over the next few days. Mrs. Malfoy's letter was almost overlooked in the aftermath.

Harry had more important things to worry about, however. The first task was in less than a week and he still had no idea what he would be required to do. All had been able to do so far was to practice the basic spells had thought he might need. Sirius had been trying to help but, as he had expected, he was usually accompanied by a staff member whenever he left his room. This meant he had been unable to do much investigation. Harry was beginning to wonder if Dumbledore was trying to make things hard for him.

There was another Hogsmeade visit the Saturday before the task. Harry was, as usual, surrounded by Slytherins but he didn't mind in the least; especially after discovering Rita Skeeter was in Hogsmeade the same day. By staying with his housemates he managed to avoid meeting her.

After returning to the castle he went to the library to do some homework with Tracey and Daphne. While he was there Professor Moody clomped over. "Afternoon, Potter," Moody began.

"Good afternoon, sir," Harry replied. The girls also greeted him.

"How are you coping with the pressure?" Moody asked.

"I'm doing ok," Harry said.

"Doesn't look like it to me. Potter, whenever I find myself in a stressful situation I find a good way to relax is to take time off and do something I enjoy. Perhaps you could try that too? What are some of the things you enjoy?"

Harry was surprised and had to think of something. "I enjoy spending time with my friends," he began. "Just hanging out with them; talking; sharing common interests. That sort of thing."

"Do you like getting out and about? Flying, perhaps?"

"Yeah. That is something I like doing."

"Then, in order to help you relax before Tuesday's first task, maybe you might consider taking your broom out for an evening flight? Maybe go over the castle and the grounds, especially the forest? Just see what's out there."

Harry felt confused. "I guess I could try that." Tracey and Daphne looked just as confused.

"Oh, and one more thing. For the first task you are only allowed your wand, but remember, you can use it to get anything else you may want; if you think it will help. Good luck, Potter." Moody limped away from the table leaving three very confused teenagers in his wake.

"It sounds like Moody is helping you," Daphne said.

"Judging on what he said, whatever it is you are supposed to do for the first task is hidden in the Forbidden Forest," Tracey added.

"Use my wand to get anything I may need," Harry said. "That sounds like he is recommending I use the summoning charm. Adding it all up it sounds like he thinks I will need my broom."

"Are you going to take his advice?" asked Tracey.

Harry shrugged. "It can't hurt, I guess. I think I'll head out tonight, after everyone else is asleep. Around midnight should do."

"Today is Saturday," Daphne said. "It's likely some people will stay up late. Do you think it might be better waiting until tomorrow?"

"Perhaps," Harry said, slowly. "I think I'll speak to Hagrid first. I haven't visited him yet this year.

"Do you think Hagrid will be able to help?" asked Tracey.

"Probably not. It may be possible to trick him into telling me something useful. That's happened before." Harry was remembering back to first year when they had managed to trick Hagrid into telling them some extra information about the parcel Hagrid taken from Gringotts and delivered to Hogwarts.

They finished their homework before heading down to Hagrid's cabin. Along the way they saw the Durmstrang ship at anchor by the lakeshore. The cold winter weather had left a thin crust of ice on some the rigging and they guessed it had covered the decks as well but the students had cleaned this all off, probably as a safety measure.

Further along, they saw the gigantic horses that had pulled the Beauxbatons carriage. These enormous animals looked quite content in their paddock.

When they finally reached Hagrid's hut Harry knocked. A moment later Hagrid opened the door. "'ello, Harry. Thought you'd forgotten where I lived."

"Hagrid, I was wondering if anything new had arrived recently. New creatures I mean."

"Why would you ask that? You don' take Care of Magical creatures after all."

"I was just wondering, that's all. Even though I don't take your class I still want to learn as much as I can about the magical world."

"Summat did come up but I can' talk about it," Hagrid said watching Harry closely. "Yer not tryin' to get some advantage for the Tri-Wizard Cup are you?"

"No," Harry said rather too quickly. "Can we come in and talk for a while?"

"I don' think so, Harry. Not just now," Hagrid said. He was clearly suspicious.

Harry realised Hagrid must have been put on guard about this sort of thing so decided not to push it. They headed back to the castle discussing it.

"Hagrid knew what you were up to." Daphne said.

"It was worth trying," Harry replied. "And anyway, he did tell me something without actually saying anything; the first task involves some kind of magical creature that I will have to defeat or at least neutralise to complete the task."

"I have an idea on how you could neutralise a dangerous creature," Daphne began. "All you need to do is turn invisible."

"So I should start practising summoning my invisibility cloak," Harry replied.

"Actually, I was thinking of the disillusionment charm." Daphne took out her wand and tapped herself on the head. Harry and Tracey watched as Daphne turned invisible, starting with her head and then moving down rapidly until only a vague outline was visible.

Harry spent the rest of the day practising both the disillusionment charm and the summoning charm. He decided he would wait until the following night before sneaking out of the common Room carrying his broom and hidden by a disillusionment charm. He thought it would be good to practice moving under it to see just how effective it really was but he didn't meet anyone along the way.

Once outside he mounted his broom and soared into the air relishing the feeling of freedom it gave him. He flew around the grounds for a few minutes before a sudden burst of light caught his eye. Flying towards it he realised there were several sources of fire that were spurting irregularly. Curious, he flew in for a closer look. With a shock he realised the sources of fire were dragons. Four huge, angry looking dragons surrounded by about 30 witches and wizards.

He flew lower and saw Hagrid, accompanied by Madame Maxime, standing under the trees talking to a red-headed man. Harry landed silently nearby and listened to their conversation. From this he learnt the man was Charlie Weasley and the dragons were for the first task, one for each champion. The champions would be required to get past them.

With this information he climbed back onto his broom and flew away, accidentally kicking Professor Karkaroff as he lifted off. Harry had been so distracted by the dragons that he hadn't noticed Karkaroff sneaking up on them.

He considered calling Sirius immediately but realised he would probably be asleep so he waited until morning. Instead he went to bed tried to get some sleep.

Next morning he got up early and found an empty room. "Sirius Black," he said into the mirror.

A few moments later Sirius replied. "Morning, Harry. What's with early morning call?"

"I found out what the first task involves. Sirius, they expect us to get past a dragon."

"Are they insane?" Sirius demanded.

"Obviously they are," Harry replied. "Why else would they bring four full grown nesting mother dragons to Hogwarts? The only good thing is I don't have to fight it."

"That's even worse. Nesting mother dragons are the most dangerous. They will do anything to protect their eggs. I need time to think about this. Harry, can you call me back at lunchtime? I need to speak to a few people about coming up with some sort of plan. Have you told Tracey yet?"

"No. I thought I'd call you first."

"Well the first thing you have to do is tell her. Don't let too many other people know; just give a general overview and ask if they have any ideas. Remember to use every piece of information you can find and, above all else keep safe. I await your call at lunchtime."

"Thanks. Goodbye for now," Harry said as the mirror went blank.

Tracey's reaction was much the same as Sirius'. "Dragons? Are they out of their minds?"

Harry chose not to answer. Instead he said, "That disillusionment charm seems to be my best option. If the dragon can't see me it can't attack me, unless it has a great sense of smell or great hearing."

"Use your broom," Tracey said. "Flying is nearly silent so that takes care of that."

"I think I'll need to distract it, too," Harry said. "Sirius is expecting me to call him at lunchtime. We'll compare notes then and, from that, work out the best strategy."

"I wonder if we could get away with skipping class?" asked Tracey. Spend more time planning your strategy."

"I seriously doubt Flitwick will take too kindly to that," Harry said. "Besides, he is the charms teacher and I plan on using the summoning charm in the task."

Instead of heading to the Great Hall at lunchtime Harry and Tracey slipped into an empty room so Harry could make his call. Sirius responded quickly. "Hello, Harry. I've talked to Remus and we have come up with an idea which should help you against your dragon. A dragon's weakest point is its eyesight so we discussed the Conjunctivitis curse."

"Sounds complicated," Harry said. "Tracey and I, with help from Daphne Greengrass, have come up with an idea." He explained about the summoning and disillusionment charms and how he planned on using them together but how they still hadn't worked out a way of distracting the dragon.

"Dragons do respond to bright lights," Sirius said. "Try casting a Lumos spell in its face. That should work."

"That's only a static light source, though," Tracey said. "It would only work for a few seconds before the dragon lost interest in it. What Harry needs is something at little longer lasting."

"Sirius, Tracey, I just thought of something," Harry said. "What I need is a bright moving light, right?"

"Yes. What do you mean?" Tracey asked. Sirius agreed with her.

"What is the brightest magical light you can think of? One that can move semi-independently of the caster? One that can be told to behave in a certain way for as long as needed?"

"I'm not sure I follow you, Harry," Sirius said. "Are you talking about a fairy light?"

Harry shook his head. "No. Something much bigger and brighter. You send it in a certain direction or ask it to circle a specific spot."

Sirius suddenly grinned as realisation dawned on him. "A Patronus. That's another use for it which is somewhat different from what it is meant to do but it has worked before against creatures other than dementors. I think your idea is brilliant."

Tracey, too, had realised what he meant. She was smiling and shaking her head. "Of course. You've already mastered the Patronus spell, and you can cast the disillusionment and summoning charms. Put all three together and it should work. Do it."

They said goodbye to Sirius, who had promised to be there to watch the first task, and went down for a quick lunch before afternoon classes. Harry felt much more confident now than earlier, something that his friends noted. He simply told them he had a plan worked out for the task and was confident it would work but refused to give any details. Instead he told them to wait until tomorrow afternoon.


	16. 16 The First Task

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 16: The First Task**

After lunch Harry saw Cedric Diggory in the hallway and he realised Cedric was probably the only champion who didn't know about the dragons. Even though Cedric was with his friends (who undoubtedly wanted to 'eliminate' him) Harry felt it only fair to warn Cedric of what was coming.

"Excuse me Cedric. Would it be possible to talk to you alone?" Harry asked. Tracey began shepherding away the horde of Slytherins accompanying Harry. Some protested but they did slowly move away. Daphne and Blaise helped and soon Harry was alone with Cedric and about a dozen Hufflepuffs.

"Go on," Cedric said. "I'll join you shortly."

"I don't trust him. If you're not in the room in one minute we're coming to get you, and we'll be bringing Professor Flitwick with us," one of the other boys said.

After they had gone Cedric turned to Harry. "Ok, Potter, what is it?"

"The first task. We have to get past a dragon. Maxime and Karkaroff both saw them so you can guarantee that Fleur and Krum know," Harry explained.

"You're sure?" Cedric asked.

"I saw them too. There is a Welsh Green; a Chinese Fireball; a Swedish Short Snout and a Hungarian Horntail. One for each of us. Our job is get past our dragon. That's all I know."

Cedric looked nervous. "I'll take your word for it, Potter. You better be right or there will be hell to pay. I better get to class. Bye." Cedric hurried after his friends and Harry hurried to catch up to his fellow Slytherins.

"What was that about, Potter?" Draco asked. The look of suspicion clearly showing on his face.

"Just a polite discussion between two champions. We were simply comparing notes on the upcoming task. Do you really think I would help a Hufflepuff get an unfair advantage?" Harry hoped Draco wouldn't look too closely and see through the lie.

"Does that mean you gave him false information?"

"No. I just didn't tell him the whole truth. I left out important information."

"Is there any particular reason the two of you are outside rather than in my classroom?" demanded Professor McGonagall.

"Oh. Sorry, Professor. I was thinking about the first task tomorrow and lost track of time," Harry said before he and Draco entered the room.

Harry felt very nervous all the next day. At lunch he hardly ate while attention in class was very limited. After lunch he followed Professor Snape out into the grounds. Snape led him to a large marquis tent that had been set up on the edge of the forbidden forest. Inside he found Fleur and Krum already waiting. Cedric joined them soon after and the four champions sat around not speaking.

Presently Ludo Bagman hurried into the tent holding a bag. Outside they could now hear hundreds of people filing past the tent to the venue for the task.

"In this bag," Bagman began, "are models of the thing you have to get past. There are different – ah – varieties you see. Your task is to 'Collect the Golden Egg'. Once the crowd has settled in I will return and we shall begin. Good luck." He then left the tent.

Not long afterward Bagman returned. "We're ready. Ladies first." He offered the bag to Fleur.

She put her hand into the bag and pulled out a model of the Welsh Green which wore a tag with the number '2' on it. From her reaction it was obvious she had known what to expect.

Krum went next. He drew out the Chinese Fireball. It wore the number '3'. Krum also clearly knew what to expect.

Cedric drew the Swedish Short Snout. It wore the number '1' meaning Cedric would go first. It also meant that Harry would face the Hungarian Horntail and that he would go last. Placing his hand in the bag and grabbing the last remaining model confirmed this.

"There you go, then. Mr. Diggory; when you hear a whistle it means we are ready. Mademoiselle Delacour, you will start on the second whistle; Mr Krum on the third and Mr. Potter on the fourth. All clear? Harry could I have a quick word; outside?"

Harry followed Bagman who began offering him advice. Harry quickly asked if he had offered any advice to of the others and, when Bagman said he hadn't, Harry headed back to the tent. At the same time a loud whistle sounded and Bagman had to hurry off to the judges table.

Cedric took about 15 minutes. After him Fleur was summoned. She was a little quicker but, judging by Bagman's commentary, she had made a bit of a mess of things. Krum went when summoned and seemingly did well, although a ferocious howl from the dragon indicated things may have gotten violent. None of the other champions' scores were read out loud so Harry had no idea of how well they had done.

Finally the whistle blew for the fourth time, summoning Harry. Wand in hand, he stepped into the arena, trying to remain calm and focused on the strategy he had worked out. When Bagman signalled for him to begin Harry took a deep, calming breath and pointed his wand at the castle while shouting; "Accio Firebolt."

While waiting for his broom Harry cast a couple of 'lumos' spells. As he had hoped the bright flash distracted the dragon momentarily, convincing him his strategy would work. When he heard the rushing of air announcing its arrival he reached out and caught it as it came to a stop by his side. He mounted it and headed toward the dragon, coming in from the side rather than front on.

When he was certain the dragon had spotted him he turned sharply away before coming back for a second pass. This time he shouted, "Expecto Patronum." His stag patronus flew away from his wand and, as it did so, he turned aside and watched the dragon's head. It was following the patronus so Harry swept around behind the dragon making sure to avoid its tail. Once clear he headed straight towards the golden egg and grabbed it before pulling away out of range.

The dragon was still chasing the patronus so Harry dispelled it as he landed. He watched the dragon handlers, Charlie Weasley amongst them, subdue the Horntail before turning his attention to the judges' table.

Harry was surprised at how easy it had been. He realised now he hadn't even cast disillusionment on himself. Someone caught Harry's arm and he turned to find Sirius standing there. "Well done, Harry. Your strategy was brilliant. No-one else thought of flying. You were by far the best," he said.

Tracey arrived moments later. She wrapped her arms around him in a bear-hug. "Well done," She said. "I think you're in the lead."

"Come along, Potter," Professor McGonagall said. "The judges have your scores and then you must go back to the tent." Harry thought there was a hint of relief in her voice.

Madame Maxime was first to reveal her score a '9'. Crouch gave Harry a '10'; Dumbledore another '9'; Bagman another '10' and Karkaroff – a '5'. Karkaroff's mark was greeted by a chorus of boos from most of the students – even many non Slytherins.

"43 points," Sirius said as he escorted Harry back to the tent. "That puts you comfortably in first place."

"Krum got 40," Tracey added. "Next is Delacour on 36 and Diggory on 35. They both got hurt pretty bad but no doubt Madam Pomfrey will soon have them fixed up."

"How did they get hurt?" Harry asked.

"The dragons breathed fire on them. They both avoided the worst of it but…" Tracey said. Harry shuddered at the thought of what dragon-fire could do.

Back in the tent the four champions stood around looking much happier than before. All except Krum, that is. He looked just as surly as ever. Harry guessed he was disappointed at only coming second.

Bagman entered moments later. "The clue to solving the second task is contained in those golden eggs each of you now holds. See the hinges on the side there? These will open the egg and tell you what the second task is. This task will take place on 24th February. If there are no questions you may leave."

Harry left immediately to find Tracey and Sirius. He found them together with Daphne Greengrass and, surprisingly, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley.

"Harry," Hermione began, "Ronald here would like to say something to you, wouldn't you, Ronald?"

Harry could tell from the tone of Hermione's voice that Ron was in trouble and it wasn't difficult to figure out what it was about.

Ron sighed before speaking. "Po… Harry, I would like to say I no longer think you put your name in the Goblet of Fire. I realise you are not an attention seeking show-off and I want to say sorry."

Harry hesitated a moment before saying, "Thank you Ron, I accept your apology."

"That's more like it," Sirius said. "We are all on the same side here so there is no reason to fight. Ron's father has been a great help with our little project and is even now looking for a solution to a problem that came up unexpectedly, and I want us all to get along."

"What project is that?" Hermione asked.

"Is it a serious problem?" Harry asked.

"The project is a secret and the problem is not major, but it is inconvenient. Unfortunately we won't be able to make our scheduled launch in time for Christmas. We are now looking at June-July."

"Come along, Ron. I think we should leave them to their private discussion," Hermione said before leading Ron away.

Suddenly Rita Skeeter popped up. "Congratulations, Harry," she began. "I wonder, could we have a minute alone for a formal interview?"

"I don't think so," Harry replied. "I want to spend some free time with friends." Quickly the group walked away leaving Skeeter in their wake.

Harry wasted no time in telling Sirius and Tracey about the egg and what Bagman had said in the tent about the next task. Once they returned to the castle they entered an empty room where Harry opened the egg. Instantly a hideous screaming filled the room. Quickly Harry snapped it closed and the screaming stopped.

"What was that?" Daphne asked, shocked.

"How am I supposed to make sense of that?" Harry asked.

Nobody had any idea what it meant but agreed to each do some individual research to try and solve it. Sirius left them to return to his room while the students headed down to the Common Room where they knew their fellow students would be planning a party.

Not surprisingly Harry was asked what the egg was for when they returned to the Common Room. Harry opened it to find out if anybody had any clue but nobody could help them. Several people offered to help with investigating its meaning but Harry decided not to accept their help. He explained he had already shown it to Sirius and was already receiving plenty of support. He explained that students should be concentrating on their school work since they still had to sit exams and Harry didn't want to disrupt their study.

Next morning Harry received a letter from Mrs. Davis congratulating him on his success. He also received letters from Mrs. Malfoy and Mr. Greengrass; the latter including an invitation to attend a formal New Years' party at Greengrass Manor and to stay with them for the remainder of the holidays. He replied to each letter thanking them for their support and accepting the invitation from the Greengrass'.

Harry decided to put the egg aside until after the holidays were finished. With all the stress and anxiety he had endured over the previous 3 ½ weeks he just wanted to relax for a change.


	17. 17: The Two Balls

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 17: The Two Balls**

If Harry had expected to be able to relax over the next month he was very much mistaken. It seemed the teachers had decided to double the amount of work the students were expected to complete and, when he wasn't doing homework, he was enduring dancing lessons. The only consolation was that he wasn't only boy having to learn how to dance; Crabbe and Goyle were there too. Tracey was determined to teach Harry personally; not letting anyone else near him although she did allow Daphne to help out occasionally. Draco was there too but Harry knew he wasn't learning himself; he was probably there solely to laugh at the rest of them.

Pansy Parkinson seemed to be enjoying herself a little too much with the others. In this respect Harry was happy to work only with Tracey.

At the of one such session Harry took her aside. "I know it's a day early but; Happy Birthday, Tracey." He gave her a small present which she unwrapped to reveal a silver necklace.

"Thank you, Harry. It's gorgeous."

The lessons proceeded smoothly and, by the end of the term, Harry was reasonably proficient with most of the common dance steps. Tracey was very satisfied with his progress, saying she felt proud to be with such a good dancer. Harry, meanwhile still had one important question for her.

"Tracey," he began, "would you like to be my date for the Yule Ball?"

"I was waiting for you to ask. Of course I accept," was her reply.

As usual they all wanted to get their holiday assignments out of the way as soon as possible. All the Slytherin 4th years were hard at work on them in the first few days of the holiday, although Harry couldn't help noticing some seemed to be distracted. He caught Daphne glaring at somebody and, following her gaze, realised it was her sister who, along with Mildred Crabbe, seemed to be spending a lot of time with Greg Goyle and Vincent Crabbe.

"Daphne?" Is there something wrong?" he asked.

"Astoria and Mildred are trying to get Vince and Greg to take them to the ball. They're both too young to go otherwise," she replied.

"Waste of time, that," Blaise put in. "I think Vince and Greg are happy with each-other, if you get my meaning." Blaise' comment drew snickers from all present. Harry wasn't sure if it was true but he knew neither boy had ever shown any interest in girls.

"Does it really matter?" Tracey asked. "I'm sure they won't be the only underage students at the ball."

Daphne turned her glare to Tracey. "That's my baby sister you're all talking about. I have every right to be concerned with who she's with."

"And if she does end up going with Crabbe you will have nothing to worry about. Right?" asked Blaise.

Daphne still wasn't happy but decided to let it drop since it looked like everyone else found the situation amusing.

{}{}{}

Astoria and Mildred did end up going to the Ball with Vince and Greg respectively. Beverly Runcorn also attended with a younger student while Theodore Nott went alone. As Harry and Tracey waited with the other champions and their dates he scanned the crowd. Cedric Diggory had Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw Quidditch seeker on his arm while Fleur Delacour was with Roger Davies, also from the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. He didn't immediately recognise the girl with Viktor Krum but thought he knew her. He saw Ron Weasley accompanied by a blonde girl he didn't know so started looking for Hermione Granger. That was when he realised Krum's date was, in fact, Hermione.

At this point Professor McGonagall arrived and invited the champions and their partners to step aside while the other guests entered the Great Hall. Harry saw Ron glare hatefully at Hermione as he passed her. He watched as Daphne and her date, Blaise, followed Astoria into Hall, a look of dislike on Daphne's face and a look of amusement on Blaise'.

Once everybody else was settled Professor Dumbledore, along with Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime and Ludo Bagman and, surprisingly, Percy Weasley led the champions and their dates to the top table where they sat facing the Hall.

Dumbledore showed them how to order by stating the name of food they wished to try directly into the menu card they had each been provided with and, following his example, Harry ordered steak with a variety of vegetables. The same thing applied to the desserts from which Harry ordered treacle tart followed by coffee.

After the meal came time for the champions to lead the dancing. Harry's dance lessons paid off as he managed to complete several dances with Tracey and, later, with Daphne while Tracey danced with Blaise. Daphne still wasn't happy with Astoria being there especially since she was now spending all her time with Beverley Runcorn's date. Beverley was now with Theodore Nott and it was obvious this had been Astoria's plan all along.

When they finally did take a break from dancing Harry and Tracey joined Ron Weasley who was still sitting at the same table he had been at since the start of the evening.

"Good evening Ron. May we join you?" Harry asked.

Ron barely acknowledged them, merely glancing up and saying, "Davis, Potter."

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" Tracey asked a moment later. Ron looked up "Oh, right. Luna Lovegood (Ron indicated the girl he was with) Tracey Davis; Harry Potter."

Tracey tried one more time to start a conversation. "Luna? Are you related to the Editor of the Quibbler?" Harry had never heard of the Quibbler before.

"Yes," Luna replied in a dreamy voice. "Daddy is the Editor. Do you read it?"

"Not personally, no. Some of my friends do, though," Tracey replied.

Harry, meanwhile, was following Ron's gaze. He had hardly taken his eyes off Granger, who seemed to be having a lot of fun without Ron.

"It was nice to meet you, Luna. Would you like to join us or will you stay with Ron?" asked Tracey.

"I'll stay here. I don't like dancing. It makes it too easy for the Wrackspurts to catch you unawares."

Harry had no idea what Wrackspurts were but decided this girl might not be all there so he excused himself and got drinks for Tracey and himself instead.

After the Ball the students returned to their dormatories and, over the next few days, concentrated on finishing their assignments. Many of them were attending the Greengrass' New Year's Ball and they all wanted to finish their schoolwork before leaving. For Harry and Tracey, who had been roped in to help with preparations, this meant one less day than their housemates had in order to finish them so he had to work that much harder.

Harry, Tracey, Robert, Daphne and Astoria left together on the 30th, arriving at Greengrass Manor mid-afternoon and were soon hard at work with the preparations. Harry had stayed with the Greengrass' over summer before second year and for a few days the previous winter. The vast lawns were snow-covered while the gardens that surrounded the estate were closed off meaning there was very little to do outside, although there was plenty to do inside. When they had finished the main Hall at Greengrass Manor was a spectacular sight. Harry had a degree of pride in how his and the other's efforts had come together.

The ball was scheduled to begin at 10pm. Guests started arriving from 9-30 onwards and Harry was able to meet many new people, notably Cedric Diggory's father, Amos, a man he had heard a lot about after the Quidditch World Cup. Mr. Diggory was not impressed with Harry, however, and Harry couldn't help feeling Mr. Diggory would be happy to see him have an "accident" thus improving Cedric's chances in the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

After dancing with Tracey and both Greengrass sisters as well as a few of the other guests Harry sat at a table where an older man was sitting alone. When he introduced himself the man became much more interested than he had been earlier in the night.

"Mr. Potter. A pleasure to meet you. I am Wilfred Wigglesworth. I work in the Ministry of Magic's Department for the Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures." Mr. Wigglesworth shook Harry's hand as he spoke.

"What types of magical creatures do you usually deal with?" Harry asked.

"I am approaching retirement now," Wigglesworth replied. "As such I tend to spend most of my time in the office handling the paperwork. I personally signed the permit authorising those three dragons to be brought into the country for your Tournament. I must say I was shocked when I saw you had been selected as a champion. My colleague Amos wasn't very happy about that either, by the way."

"I wasn't very happy about that myself."

"So it's true, then. You are being forced to compete against your will. I saw a few letters in the Daily Prophet saying how unfair it was that you were being coerced. I wasn't sure if it was true but I see now it was."

"Mr. Diggory doesn't believe it," Harry said, sounding bitter. "He thinks I'm trying to steal his son's glory."

"Don't worry about Amos," Wigglesworth said. "He's always been a bit headstrong. He thinks Cedric is the salt of the Earth and won't bear anything said against him. The fact that Cedric is a superstar in the making is his pride and joy. He'll settle down soon, though, you'll see."

"I like Cedric, and I hope he does well in the Tournament. I might be leading at the moment but I had a lot of help and luck come my way and, just keep this between us, I'm doing what I can to help him win."

"It makes sense to help each-other. I won't say anything if you don't want me to," Wigglesworth said.

"Thank you. I wonder; would you mind telling me about some of the magical creatures that you've encountered, please?"

"Oh, I've dealt with all sorts of creatures in my time. I used to spend a lot of time dealing with goblins but, in recent years it's been more looking into relationships with other creatures. Trolls, merfolk and, of course, dragons."

"I know a bit about trolls and I've faced a dragon, but I don't take Care of Magical Creatures so I don't really know much about any of them," Harry explained. "I would like to learn more, of course, which is why I'm asking."

"There isn't much to add that you don't already know about dragons, and trolls are basically stupid brutes but they can be trained."

"What can you tell me about Merpeople? I don't think I've seen them mentioned in any books I've read. Are they very common?"

"There are several colonies of them around the British Isles," Wigglesworth began. "There are saltwater species as well as freshwater species, although these are rare. Did you know there is a colony of them in the lake at Hogwarts?"

Harry was surprised to hear this. The Hogwarts Lake wasn't especially big although he realised it had to be quite deep to provide enough food for the giant squid. "I had no idea. I would have thought, with the giant squid living there, there wouldn't be enough room for much else."

Wigglesworth laughed. "You would be surprised at just what is in there. Along with the Merpeople and the giant squid, there are Grindylows and a few others. Grindylows are nasty creatures that will eat anything. Fortunately the giant squid thinks they're quite tasty and eats a lot of them."

Harry already knew about Grindylows having studies then DADA class during his third year. He decided to ask about Merpeople instead.

"Merpeople have quite a structured society," Wigglesworth explained. "If it wasn't for the fact their language is so difficult for humans it might be possible to forge an alliance with them. As far as I know there are only two people alive today who can speak their language fluently – Barty Crouch and Albus Dumbledore. I have heard it said however, that if you are underwater the Merpeople language can be understood by anyone. Above water it is just a high pitched screech but underwater it sounds just like English."

Harry's heart skipped a beat. That high pitched screech was exactly what the egg sounded like and that, along with the fact there were Merpeople in the Lake, meant Harry might have the answer he was looking for. Before he got the chance the question Wigglesworth further, however, Tracey came and joined them.

"How do you feel, Harry? Enjoying yourself?" she asked.

"Yeah. I've just been having a fascinating conversation with Mr. Wigglesworth here."

"What were you talking about, if you don't mind me asking?" Tracey said as Harry stood to join her.

"Did you know there are Merpeople in the lake at Hogwarts?"

"No." They had now moved to an empty table in the corner of the room.

"There are; and their voices sound like a loud screech when they are out of the water, exactly like that egg does. He also told me to put it under water to hear exactly what they are saying."

"We could use the swimming pool; or a bathtub," Tracey said, realising the importance the information.

"We should do it tomorrow morning. I think I'll use my bathtub; that way nobody else needs to know until we have solved it," Harry said. Tracey agreed.

Both retired early, saying they were tired and that they would see everybody in the morning. After bidding goodnight the visitors, especially Wilfred Wigglesworth who had unknowingly given them such a vital piece of information, they headed to their respective rooms and then to bed.


	18. 18 Catching an Impostor

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 18: Catching an Impostor**

Tracey joined Harry in his room after breakfast. Both were keen to listen to the egg's message as soon as they could. Harry filled the tub and placed the egg in the water before opening it.

A strange gurgling noise greeted them. Harry took a breath and dipped his face into the water with Tracey joining him a moment later. Under water they clearly hear the egg singing.

 _Come seek us where our voices sound_

 _We cannot sing above the ground_

 _And while you're searching, ponder this_

 _We've taken what you'd sorely miss_

 _An hour long you'll have to look_

 _To recover what we took_

 _But past an hour – the prospects black_

 _Too late it's gone, it won't come back_

After a moment song started repeating itself. They both pulled their heads out of the water.

"Seems straight forward enough," Tracey said. "The Merpeople are going to take something from you that you value greatly, and you are going to have one hour to retrieve it from them. I doubt they will keep it. That last part probably shouldn't be interpreted literally or the Ministry will become involved."

"Basically I am going to have to find something that will allow me to breathe underwater for at least an hour. A spell or potion of some kind would be best. Do you know of anything that might work?"

"There are certainly spells that allow you to maintain a supply of fresh air. I don't know if they work under water. I think your best bet would be a potion. I just hope it doesn't take too long to prepare, though."

"Well, we've got about six weeks to prepare," Harry said. "Would we be allowed to use the library here for research?"

"Yes. That won't be a problem. Let's go there now and have a proper look before lunch."

In the library they found a couple dozen books about aquatic life and the various ways wizards communicate with water dwelling creatures. They each took a stack books to separate tables and began reading.

Before long Daphne joined them. "What are you doing? I thought you had both finished your assignments?" she asked.

"We are researching things that will help me with the second Tri-Wizard task," Harry explained. "We managed to solve the clue and now I need a plan to complete it."

Daphne looked excited. "Really? Well done. Can I help you?"

"Harry needs to be able to breath under water for at least an hour," Tracey explained. "We were researching potions that could be used."

"Have you considered the Bubblehead charm?" Daphne asked. "It's easy to learn. I could show you now, if you like?"

Daphne taped herself on the head just like she had done demonstrating the disillusionment charm. This time, however, a large bubble of air appeared around her head that remained with her as she moved around the room. The spell gave her head an odd look but it was clearly easy to perform.

After she ended the spell Harry asked, "Are you allowed to do that? I mean we're out of school and you are using magic."

"It's fine," Daphne said with a laugh. "The Ministry can only detect the area in which a spell is being used, not who cast it. As this is a wizarding house they expect our parents to keep an eye on it but very few actually do. You could use magic here and the Ministry wouldn't be any the wiser."

"How long will that last in cold water?" asked Harry.

"Not sure, but it is relatively easy to learn. I'm sure once you cast it a few times you will be able to maintain it for as long as you need," Daphne explained.

Harry spent most of the remainder of the holidays mastering the spell and also researching what else might be an option. He would need to find out what spells he could use under water once he returned to Hogwarts to determine what other equipment he would need but, for the moment, mastering a new spell was more important.

{}{}{}

The return to Hogwarts was uneventful, allowing them to settle back into their routine. Harry made sure to contact Sirius to tell him they had solved the clue and were now working on method to allow Harry to breathe underwater. Sirius offered his advice, suggesting they use something called Gillyweed, a fresh water plant that had some unique magical properties which would allow him to grow gills and, therefore, breathe underwater. He said Gillyweed would last about an hour which would be ideal for the task. Harry thanked him but said they were already researching charms including the Bubblehead charm.

Meanwhile Harry had decided to wait a week or so before attempting to use the Bubblehead charm underwater, he felt he would need to plan out exactly how to make the journey to the underground dock without being spotted. Tracey would, of course, be accompanying him on this journey as well. They both thought two heads would better than one and there was always the possibility of something going wrong.

At the end of the first week, however, Cedric Diggory asked to speak to Harry in private. After they had ensured nobody could overhear them Cedric said, "How are you going with your egg?"

"Okay. I think of got it solved and now I'm at the experimental stage," Harry replied.

"Have you figured out what that screeching means?"

"Yeah. Have you?"

"I have. Harry I think you might find the Prefects' bathroom will provide a comfortable environment to do your research in. it's on the 4th floor opposite the portrait of Boris the Bewildered. The password is 'Pine-fresh'. Well, best of luck," Cedric finished.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you and good luck, Cedric," Harry said.

He told Tracey what Cedric had said as soon as he got back to the Common Room. They discussed the idea and decided to keep it ready as a backup to going to the dock, which they had decided to do at 1-30 Monday morning when everybody should be asleep.

Tracey was waiting in the Common Room when Harry came down. They would use Harry's invisibility cloak since it would be big enough for them both as well as the egg. Harry had also brought the Marauder's Map since it would allow them to 'see' if anyone was approaching them.

Outside the Common Room Harry activated the map and began scanning it to see who was awake. He quickly spotted something odd.

"Why is Barty Crouch here at Hogwarts? I heard he was too ill to get out and about at the moment."

"Crouch?" asked Tracey. Harry pointed to Moody's office where dots labelled Bartemius Crouch and Alastor Moody could clearly be seen.

Neither of them could answer that question so they looked around for any other oddities. They soon spotted a group of people walking up the main staircase just ahead of them. They followed the groups progress and realised they were heading toward the Ravenclaw Common Room. "Probably a group of students sneaking back to their Common Room after visiting the kitchen," Tracey said. Harry agreed.

They walked along the corridor keeping an eye on the map as they walked. Just before they reached the Main Entrance Harry spotted another name heading their way. "Wait up; Luna Lovegood is heading this way. I wonder why she wasn't with those other Ravenclaws?"

"Maybe she's not friends with them. I've heard rumours Luna's not very popular with her housemates. Remember the Yule Ball where she seemed a little 'out of it?'" Tracey said.

Harry nodded. "I did think she was a bit strange. Anyway; those other students may not have been from her year. Maybe they both decided on the same idea at almost the same time?"

They waited for Luna to pass. They were, however, surprised when, instead of heading toward the kitchen, she turned down the same passage they themselves were planning on using. "I think we should find out what she is up to before we proceed with our plan," Harry said.

Quietly they headed down the passage to the dock, all the time watching how Luna moved. They soon realised she would regularly enter the water and, after a brief pause, would return to the same place on shore, followed by a trip into a different part of the water.

"I'm going on ahead to see what she's doing. Be back in a minute," Harry said. He wrapped the cloak around himself and cautiously moved forward. He peeked around the corner and, after a moment of searching, saw Luna emerge from the water – naked.

He silently stepped back around the corner. "Apparently, she is skinny dipping," he said quietly.

"What?" Tracey said, loudly. Too loudly as it turned out.

"Who's there?" Luna called out.

Tracey pushed past Harry and rounded the corner. "Luna? What are you doing? And put some clothes on," she said.

"Hello Tracey," Luna replied. "I will dress as soon as my clothes are dry. What are you doing here?"

"Harry and I came down here to work on the Tri-Wizard clue," Tracey explained. "What are your clothes doing in the water?"

Harry rounded the corner and looked over the water. He could now see several other items of clothing floating in the water – a fact he had completely missed earlier.

"I think the nargles must have gotten into my things," Luna said smiling at Harry. "I forgot to use a spell daddy taught me before I went for a late night shower and, when I came back, my roommates told me my trunk had been taken down here along with all my belongings."

"Luna, that doesn't make sense. Nargles aren't real; they couldn't have brought your stuff down here. It must have been your roommates. Harry do you mind? There is a naked girl here." Tracey had just noticed Harry standing nearby.

"Sorry," Harry said, turning toward the water. He pointed his wand some nearby items and said, "Accio clothes." Several items shot out of the water and landed on the shore near Tracey who grabbed a couple of items and told Harry to dry them which he did.

"Are all your clothes here?" Tracey asked Luna.

"I think so, yes," Luna replied.

"So what did you wear on your way down here?" Tracey began drying some of Luna's clothes for her.

"I had the towel I'd used in the shower," Luna replied serenely as she began drying some of them too.

"That towel would have been damp, wouldn't it?" Luna nodded as Harry turned to face her and Tracey. He had just realised what Tracey was getting at.

"So… You walked all the way here from Ravenclaw tower barefoot and wearing only a damp towel to recover your clothes from the lake, in the middle of the night, during one of the coldest months of the year?" Tracey's voice went up an octave as she finished. Luna nodded.

Harry cast a fire-making spell. The warm flames leapt into existence. "You need to warm yourself up, Luna, before you catch Pneumonia," he said.

Luna moved next to the fire while Tracey cast a dirty look in Harry's direction. He decided to turn his back on the two girls.

When Luna was properly dressed they helped her put everything back into her trunk and headed back to the castle. Luna insisted on returning to Ravenclaw tower so, reluctantly, they began escorting her there. "Hold on," Harry said a moment later. "Crouch is leaving. He had just seen Crouch's dot reach the top of the stairs above the Entrance Hall.

They decided to wait until he had gone but, in fact, Crouch opened the door in front of them. Only it wasn't Bartemius Crouch who was standing there; it was Professor Moody.

"Hello Potter, Miss Davis, Miss Lovegood. Out for a night-time stroll?"

"Tracey and I were going to work on the egg clue when we found Luna here," Harry explained. "Apparently, somebody thought it would be funny to throw all her clothes in the lake so we were helping her dry them."

"That true, Miss Lovegood?"

"My clothes were all here so I had to come and get them," Luna replied in her usual dreamy voice.

I think I better take you to the hospital wing," Moody said. "This is a serious case of bullying. Thank you for highlighting this for me you two, and you can each take 20 points for assisting a fellow student in need. Carry on with your egg clue while I take care of Miss Lovegood. Come along."

Moody and Luna walked out the door. Luna was trying to say it wasn't that bad but Moody wasn't listening. Meanwhile, Harry showed Tracey the Marauder's Map which clearly showed Bartemius Crouch was walking next to Luna Lovegood. It also showed Moody in his office. They both realised they may have just discovered some vital information that they needed to pass on to someone, namely Sirius, who would surely pass it on to many others.


	19. 19 The Traitor Revealed

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 19: The Traitor Revealed**

Harry and Tracey returned to Common Room as soon as the coast was clear. Because it was so late (2 o'clock in the morning) they headed straight to bed. Harry told Tracey he would contact Sirius in the morning and report what they had discovered about Moody/Crouch.

When he got up in the morning he contacted Sirius. "Good morning, Harry. To what do I owe the pleasure of such an early mirror call?" Sirius sounded a little annoyed to Harry.

"Sorry, but Tracey and I made an unexpected discovery last night. Do you have any idea why Barty Crouch should be using Polyjuice potion to impersonate Professor Moody?"

The look of surprise on Sirius' face made it obvious he had no idea. "Crouch? Impersonating Moody with Polyjuice potion? Are you sure?"

Harry then explained how he and Tracey had used the Marauder's Map to plot a safe time to go to the underground dock so they could practice for the second task in the actual conditions he would likely experience when he was in the lake and how they had been interrupted by another student (Harry didn't say who the student was) and how, as they were leaving, he had spotted Crouch on the map. He said "Crouch" had opened the door in front of them and how it had been Moody standing there.

Sirius thought for a moment before replying. "Can I meet you by the lake at lunchtime?"

"Of course. Do you want Tracey there?"

"Yes, bring her; and bring the Marauder's Map too. I might have to borrow it for a couple of days."

"Right. See you at lunchtime. I better get some breakfast before Crabbe and Goyle eat everything in sight. Bye, Sirius."

"Bye Harry." the mirror went blank.

Arriving in the Great Hall Harry took his usual seat and started eating. Before he had taken more than a couple of bites, however, Draco interrupted him. "Guess what, Harry?"

"Ok. What?"

"Hagrid's gone," Draco said.

Harry looked at the staff table. The first thing he noticed was that several teacher's chairs were empty. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick and Moody were absent while a strange woman was sitting in Hagrid's usual place. "Who is that woman?" he asked.

"Don't know, but she must be Hagrid's replacement," Draco said. "If you're not up-to-date, read this."

He passed Harry a copy of the Daily Prophet. The headline read: 'Scandal at Hogwarts.'

'Rita Skeeter, investigative reporter extraordinaire, has uncovered a horrifying secret that Hogwarts Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore has been trying to keep hidden from parents and students alike. For the last 18 months, the subject of Care of Magical Creatures has been taught by "Professor" Rubeus Hagrid. Now the truth can be revealed: not only is Hagrid unqualified for the position he is not even human! Rubeus Hagrid has a giantess for a mother.'

Harry didn't read any further. "So Hagrid's a half giant. What difference does that make?"

"Giants are brutal and stupid," Draco said.

"Hagrid isn't," Harry replied.

"You don't take Care of Magical Creatures so you've never met him as a teacher. His idea of a 'Good lesson' is seeing how far he can go without killing someone. Those Blast-Ended-Skrewts he has are an illegal crossbreed and extremely dangerous. But he treats them like pets."

"Draco's right about that," Theo put in.

"I quite agree," Millicent added.

Harry could see the majority of people present thought that way so he didn't press them any further.

"Did anybody else see the house points on their way in?" Daphne asked.

"What about them?" Theo replied.

"Out score has gone up by 40 points and Ravenclaw has dropped by about 100. Something must have happened overnight," Daphne said.

"The 40 points are what Harry and I were given for helping a student in trouble," Tracey said to the group. "I don't know anything about Ravenclaw losing all those points, though." Harry had a fairly good idea what that might be about but didn't say anything.

"Who did you help?" Draco asked.

"Does it matter?" Tracey said. "What's important is we were rewarded for doing it."

Nobody asked any more questions, much to Harry's relief. He didn't really like talking about bullying.

At lunchtime he and Tracey went out to meet Sirius. They found him standing by the lake watching the Durmstrang ship at anchor.

"Hello, Sirius," Harry called.

"Harry, Tracey. Did you bring the map?" Sirius replied.

Harry handed the map to Sirius who activated it. "Crouch is currently in the Great Hall, sitting in Moody's seat," he said. "Moody is in his office just sitting there by the look. I think I need to check this out. Harry; I'll keep the map for now but I will return it to you as soon as I can; all right?"

"Sure. Sirius? Have you read the Daily Prophet today?"

"If you're talking about Rita Skeeter's article on Hagrid, yes."

"Is it true?" Tracey asked.

"As far as I know, although I've known Hagrid for over 20 years and he has never acted in a violent manner without first being provoked. That doesn't mean he's very smart, or that he thinks things through. All the same it's a bad look. I hope Dumbledore can bring him around and get him back soon."

"Do you know where Hagrid is?" asked Harry.

"In his cabin. He hasn't come out since yesterday morning. I'm fairly sure Dumbledore has spoken to him since then."

"Should we go and talk to him?" asked Tracey.

"I'd leave it for a few days, if I were you. Give him a bit of time to sort himself out. I believe Professor Grubbly-Plank is covering for him at the moment."

Harry didn't recognise the name but realised she must be the woman who was seated in Hagrid's usual position at breakfast that morning. He along with Tracey said goodbye to Sirius and went inside for lunch.

The next couple of days were uneventful. Thursday evening, however, the peace of the castle was suddenly shattered by a series of loud bangs. Moments Later Professor McGonagall's voice echoed through the castle. "This is an emergency situation. All students are to report to their Common Rooms immediately. If you are unable to reach your Common Room please report to the library or the Great Hall, whichever is closer. All students are to remain at one of these safe locations until further notice."

Immediately people began talking. The most common question was; "What's going on?"

"Ok. Silence," Robert Davis shouted; his voice magically amplified. "You heard the announcement, now listen to me and the other prefects."

Once the room had quietened down he continued in a normal voice. "I don't know what is happening but everybody must obey instructions. Firstly, how many students are not currently here?"

A quick headcount revealed a group of four 5th years and another of three 6th years were unaccounted for. Their year-mates said they had gone to the library to study. Robert accepted that information with relief. "The library is a safe area so they should all be fine. Until we have more information I want everybody to sit tight and carry on with what you were doing. Any questions?"

There were a few murmurs and some of the younger students in particular were upset but nobody had any questions.

When the Bloody Baron entered through the wall Robert told him about the students in the library to which the Baron said there were seven Slytherins there along with Professors Sinistra, Babbling and Burbage as well as Madam Pince. He refused to say what was going on upstairs but the noise had subsided indicating it was probably over and they would no doubt soon find out what had happened.

Professor Snape entered the Common Room some time later, bringing with him the students from the library. He called for silence as soon as these students had re-joined their house-mates.

"As you heard there was an emergency situation earlier," Snape began. "It has been discovered that Professor Moody was attacked and abducted from his home back at the end of August by a group of men that included Peter Pettigrew. The man you have known as Professor Moody all year is, in fact, an imposter. A man named Bartemius Crouch junior."

There were several gasps of surprise at this revelation. Harry realised the person they had seen on the map was not the Minister for International Magical Cooperation as he had thought but, in fact, his son who had the same name. Snape continued.

"Crouch junior supposedly died in Azkaban 12 years ago. It has now been discovered his father helped him to escape at that time and that it was in fact Crouch's wife who died in Azkaban."

"That's horrible," somebody called out, earning themselves a deathly glare from Snape. Once again the room went silent.

"The real Professor Moody has been held prisoner in his trunk since the beginning of September but has now been freed and is recovering in the hospital wing. Students are forbidden to enter that area except in an emergency.

"The Ministry of Magic has begun an internal enquiry into how a senior Ministry official was able to get away with such a deceit for so long but it already appears others may have been harmed in the concealment of this situation. For your information Bartemius Crouch senior has been arrested and a temporary Head of Department at the Ministry of Magic has been appointed. It is my understanding that both senior and junior have been given adjacent cells in Azkaban.

"Professor Dumbledore is looking to appoint a temporary DADA teacher but those of you who have that subject tomorrow need not attend class as it has been cancelled," Snape finished.

After a brief look around the room Snape turned and left the Common Room.

That night Harry had a nightmare. It was the first time he had thought about Lord Voldemort since before the Quidditch World Cup. In it Voldemort was reacting badly to some news about his spy at Hogwarts being caught. Harry forced himself awake and lay in bed, breathing heavily and with his scar throbbing. He quickly noted the major details in a notebook before going back to sleep.

In the morning he contacted Sirius who told him to keep quiet about it. Sirius said he would pass the information to Dumbledore who would handle it. He told Harry to keep him advised if any similar event should happen again.

Over the weekend there was much speculation over who would be covering Moody's classes. On Monday morning, as they entered the Hall for breakfast they noticed two things. 1. Hagrid was back in his usual seat and 2. Sirius was sitting next to Snape.

"Great, Hagrid's back," Draco groaned.

"Yeah, but what is Sirius doing at the teacher's table?" Harry asked.

His question was answered soon after, when Dumbledore called for silence.

"I am pleased to announce that Professor Hagrid has recovered from his illness and is able to resume his teaching duties. It is also my pleasure to announce we have a temporary Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Black, who will be with us until Professor Moody is able to resume his duties."

Hagrid received a muted response while several people clapped loudly when Sirius' appointment was announced, Harry among them.

From what they were told by students who had already had Sirius teaching them it seemed he was a competent teacher so they were all eager to get to class after lunch on Wednesday. They found Sirius waiting for them when they arrived. They took their usual seats and then Sirius addressed them. "Quite a few of you know me as Sirius but, during class at least, you will address me as Professor Black, all clear?"

"Yes, Professor Black," a number of students chorused.

"Seriously, though; I have never been one to stand on ceremony and, since I'm only a reliever, I won't be too strict, although I do have a specific topic to teach you."

The rest of the lesson was mostly note taking and, at the end, Harry was asked to stay behind. After the rest, including Tracey, had gone Sirius pulled out a sheet of parchment and handed it to Harry. "I think it's time to return this to you. Have you had a chance to practice for the 2nd task yet?"

"Not yet," Harry replied. "Do you know where I can get Gillyweed?"

"I know Snape has some, but I don't think it's such a good idea now. It was fake Moody who mentioned it to me when he asked if I was helping you with the Tri-Wizard Tournament. I think he was trying to set you up. Incidentally Crouch junior is no longer around. The Dementors were so happy to 'see' him again they kissed him."

Harry was struck with a horrible image of a Dementor sucking his soul out. It must have shown on is face because Sirius was showing concern for him. "Don't think about it, Harry. You don't know what Crouch junior was sent to Azkaban for do you?"

"No," Harry said.

"He, along with my cousin Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband and his brother attacked an innocent couple and tortured them into insanity, in some respects a fate worse than death. Don't ask me who; they have a child here at Hogwarts and it is up to that person to reveal that information, if they choose to do so."

"Right, okay." Harry still felt a little unsettled.

"Well, good luck for the 2nd task. Off you go and if your next teacher asks you why you're late, tell them I was explaining something in detail but don't say what it was. If they want to know tell them to see me and I'll explain everything," Sirius finished.


	20. 20 The Second Task

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 20: The Second Task**

Now he had the Marauder's Map back Harry was able to plan his excursion to the dock where he could practice for the second task. As with last time Tracey would be joining him and they decided to do it that night.

The Slytherin first years' had astronomy that night so they covered themselves with the Invisibility Cloak and followed them out of the Common Room, staying behind them until they headed their separate ways. Arriving at the dock (and after determining they were alone) Harry took the cloak off, cast Bubblehead on himself and entered the water.

"It's freezing," he said after a moment. Tracey could just make out what he was saying although it was somewhat distorted thanks to the air bubble around his head.

They stayed there for an hour and, at the end, Harry was confident he could maintain the spell for long enough. "The problem," he said, "is it's so cold. Even if I can breathe underwater I could freeze to death in less than an hour."

"I think I may have a solution," Tracey said. "What you need is something that covers your body and shields it from the cold water, but you need to be able to use your hands and feet. Next Hogsmeade visit I think we should slip away. My mother could take us shopping in the muggle world where we could get you some thermal clothes. With magic we could make them waterproof and trap warm air inside them."

"The next Hogsmeade weekend is just before Valentine's day. I saw it on the notice board. That gives me about a week to complete my training. That should be enough time."

"Let's go back. I'll write her in the morning," Tracey finished. They returned to the Common Room and went straight to bed.

The day of the next Hogsmeade arrived. Tracey had explained the situation to her mother who had searched muggle stores near Diagon Alley and had identified some suitable clothes. She was waiting for them by the style on the opposite side of town and when Harry and Tracey arrived she apparated them to London so Harry could withdraw the necessary funds from his vault and exchange it for muggle money. That completed they walked into muggle London to the shop Mrs. Davis had found.

"The most suitable item I can think of is a tracksuit with built-in hood," she explained. "That way only your face, hands and feet will be uncovered while the elastic bands around your wrists and ankles will prevent any water getting in via these openings. The bubblehead charm covers your head and neck and that will stop water getting in that way. Once you've bought what you want I'll apply proper water repelling and warming charms to them as well as sealing off the zipper on the top of the suit."

Harry looked through the selection before settling on a green and white tracksuit. He also found a pair of thermal socks and some fingerless gloves which Mrs. Davis could make waterproof. The tracksuit had Velcro-sealable pockets into which Harry could securely place any tools he may need. He had already decided that, in addition to his wand, he would carry a pair of sharp knives and some stones which he would leave at the bottom of the lake. That way his descent would be quicker due to the extra weight and, once the stones were gone, he would have less weight holding him back during the ascent.

Harry paid for the items and gave the balance of the money to Mrs. Davis saying she could keep it in exchange for the spellcasting. Harry and Tracey then returned to Hogsmeade where they spent the rest of the day trying to avoid Rita Skeeter, whom they had discovered was in town that day and was looking for any news she could butcher and corrupt to suit her wants.

They were successful in avoiding Skeeter, thanks largely to warnings about her movements supplied to them by their friends. These same friends walked with Harry back to Hogwarts where they knew they were safe, Skeeter having been banned from the grounds by Dumbledore because of the inflammatory stories she had been writing.

They had learned after the event that, on the night of the Yule Ball, Hagrid had confessed to Madame Maxime that he was a half giant. Maxime was, herself, a half giant and apparently Hagrid had been trying to get her to go on a date with him. Nobody was exactly sure whether Skeeter had overheard this confession or someone else had overheard it and passed the information onto her but it was felt the first option was more likely and this was the reason for Dumbledore banning her; an action the Ministry of Magic had supported.

After returning to the castle they went to the DADA classroom where they met Sirius.

"Good afternoon, Professor Black," Harry said when they entered.

"Good afternoon. How did the trip go?"

"Very well. I think I'm as prepared as I can be for the task."

"That's good to hear. By the way, it's not Professor Black anymore; Moody's been passed fit to take up his position as teacher starting Monday."

"That's good news, although we will miss you," Tracey said.

"I don't suppose you know if Rita Skeeter has been sneaking into the grounds recently?" asked Sirius.

"No. Would you like me to keep an eye on the Marauder's Map in the future?" Harry replied.

"You've got your classes to study for even if you've done all you can for the Tournament," Sirius replied. "I was wondering if I could borrow the map for a while. I don't have anything to do at the moment so I thought I could spend my time trying to catch Skeeter."

"I left it in my trunk but I can get it for you," Harry replied. "Does this mean you've fixed that problem you mentioned with the mirror phones?"

"Yes. In the end it was a simple matter of altering the spells so that you actually have to touch the screen before speaking into it. I believe the muggles call this problem 'Pocket Dialling'."

"So we're all set for June as a launch date. That's great. I'll give you the map this evening at dinner."

"Remember, Harry, surviving the task is your priority. As long as you try you don't have to win. Tracey, I'm counting on you to help and protect Harry, but don't do anything unnecessary. Clear?" Sirius said.

"I'll do what I can," Tracey said. "See you later, Sirius."

On the Monday before the second task a large parcel was delivered to Harry with the regular post. Mrs. Davis had completed the necessary modifications to the tracksuit. From that time until the task began he concentrated on ensuring everything would go as he planned. To do this he regularly practiced the spells he expected to need. Eventually Tracey told him to stop and relax as he was obviously using a lot of nervous energy.

The night before the task Professor Snape made an unexpected appearance in the Common Room. He asked Tracey to join him and left with her and without giving any further explanation. He did say that something had come up and that he needed Tracey's help with it but refused to elaborate even when Robert Davis asked if it was something he should know about. Everybody thought this was suspicious but there was nothing they could do.

The next morning Tracey still hadn't returned and people were beginning to get worried. Robert led several others, including Harry, to Snape's office.

"Mr. Potter," Snape began. "I assume you have solved the clue for the second task. I can now tell you the task is a rescue mission. Miss Davis has been placed in an enchanted sleep and is being guarded by Merpeople in the lake. Your task is rescue her. Each of the other champions has been given a specific person to rescue and you are not to do anything to help or hinder them in their task. Likewise they are not allowed to help or hinder you in any way.

"Once you have recovered Miss Davis you are to return to the surface. Points will be awarded according to the time it takes you to complete it. If you complete the task within the hour allotted and are first to the surface you will receive the most points. If you do not complete the task your hostage will be released and you will receive zero points. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir," Harry said.

"Good. Go and have breakfast. You have until 9-30 to prepare. Dismissed."

Now that he knew exactly what he had to do Harry didn't have much of an appetite. He now knew to task was not a recovery mission but a rescue mission. Instead of having breakfast he returned to the Common Room and dressed in the clothes he planned to wear underwater. In addition to his wand he would be taking two knives. If anybody (or anything) got in his way he would show no mercy.

Robert and the others who had gone to Snape's office with him were equally unhappy and some of them expressed their feelings about it to the staff, Dumbledore included. All they received in return was an assurance that the hostages would be safe and that there was nothing to worry about.

Robert pulled Harry aside as he made his way to the lakeshore. "Harry, it is clear the staff do not think anyone is in any danger and nothing I said would alter their minds. Dumbledore just gave his usual flippant remarks in response to my concerns."

"Of course he did," Harry replied bitterly. "When has he ever cared about danger? There are so many things that could go wrong I cannot even begin to list them."

"So you know, I will be putting in a written complaint about how this tournament is now endangering innocent people who aren't even contestants; although it is too late now to do anything to stop the task. Good luck, Harry."

Harry said thanks and walked to the edge of the water where the other champions were waiting.

Before the contest began Dumbledore announced that the new head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, Madam Dolores Umbridge, would acting as a judge in the place of the now imprisoned Barty Crouch.

Ludo Bagman gave the signal to start. All four champions waded out into the water. Cedric and Fleur had both decided on the same strategy Harry was using – the bubblehead charm. Krum, however, was attempting to transfigure himself. For his part Harry was careful to line himself up with the stand where the spectators were before diving in. it seemed logical that the place the hostages were being held would be as close as possible to this location. That completed (and having cast the bubblehead charm on himself) he dived in.

He decided open water would be best so he swam directly away from the shore using the weight of the equipment he was carrying to gradually drop him deeper into the water. When he judged he was near the middle of the lake he dived deeper. Soon he could faintly make out the sound of singing coming from in front and off to one side of where he was. Taking this as a clue he headed directly towards the voices.

Not long after he began to see signs of habitation. Several large areas of lake-weed were clearly visible. They were so regular they could only be artificial so he knew he must be near the village. Presently this, too, came into sight. He headed toward the centre of the village where a large group of beings could be seen.

Merpeople did not look anything like the pictures he had seen in books or in paintings. They were very tall – some at least 7 feet tall and they had a wild tangle of what looked like weeds instead of hair. They were various shades of grey and had a distinctly fish-like appearance. Their eyes were large and yellow. Their teeth, also yellow, were jagged and broken. Many wore chains of pebbles and shells as necklaces. Many were armed and Harry hoped he wouldn't have to fight them. They may not be magic users but their size was imposing.

Ignoring them as best he could Harry swam to a statue in the centre of the village where four people were being held in place by thick vines. He recognised Cho Chang and Hermione Granger either side of Tracey but didn't know the fourth hostage – a young girl who looked somewhat like Fleur and who he guessed must be Fleur's sister.

Taking out one of the knives he was carrying he slashed through the vines holding Tracey and pulled her free. He took the rocks he had used for ballast out of his pockets and, after making sure he had a tight hold on Tracey, began kicking straight up.

As he began his ascent he saw Cedric Diggory arrive in the village square. Assuming that Fleur and Krum weren't far behind he kicked even harder for the surface.

It took several minutes but eventually he noticed the water around him was becoming less opaque. Realising he was near the surface he put in one last supreme effort and finally broke the surface. As soon as her head was clear of the water Tracey spat out a mouthful of water and asked, "Are we the first back to the surface?"

Harry looked around before replying, "Looks like it, yeah. Let's get ashore."


	21. 21 Rita Skeeter

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 21: Rita Skeeter**

As they made their way to the shore Robert Davis broke away from the crowd and helped them. He was anxious to ensure Tracey was alright. She replied that she was fine and she was never in any danger. Although Robert was relieved to hear that he was still unhappy.

When they left the water they were greeted by Madam Pomfrey. "Here quickly cover yourselves with these," she said giving them each a warm blanket to wrap around themselves. "Take this." She gave them each a measure of pepper-up potion. In moments steam was hissing out of their ears.

They could hear Ludo Bagman's voice in the background. "And now our second champion has emerged from the lake," he was saying. "It's a one-two for Hogwarts as Cedric Diggory comes ashore with his hostage, Cho Chang. Let's have a round applause for Diggory." Several people clapped and cheered as Cedric and Cho reached the shore and were bundled up in blankets by Madam Pomfrey.

Sirius had meanwhile joined Harry. "Well done," he said. "By my calculations you were the only one who made it back within the one hour time limit. I think Diggory missed out."

"I hope the others are ok," Harry said, looking out over the surface of the lake.

"They'll be fine," Tracey said. "None of us were ever in any danger."

A moment later there was a disturbance on the lake surface as four people emerged from the depths. Several distant shouts could be heard from them. Madame Maxime rushed into the water making Harry think someone had been hurt.

"Something's wrong," Robert said. Everybody turned to see what had happened. Dumbledore now hurried into the water as well. Harry and the others watched as Madame Maxime carried Fleur and her sister to the bank. Harry gasped in shock when he realised Fleur had badly injured her foot. Blood could be seen seeping through a bandage.

Harry looked at Tracey who was now as pale as a ghost. He followed her eyes and realised she wasn't looking at Fleur but at Hermione Granger who was bleeding almost as much as Fleur.

There were several moments of confusion as the judges and teachers crowded around the two bleeding students. Robert and Sirius stayed with Harry and Tracey. All four of them speculating about what had happened.

Eventually the judges returned to the table. After a few moments of discussion Ludo Bagman stood. "Can I have your attention, please?" he said loudly. "It appears that Fleur was attacked by several Grindylows that mauled her quite badly. She managed to complete the task thanks to some assistance provided by Viktor Krum but will require further treatment.

"Hermione Granger was a victim of an accidental knife slip that occurred when Krum was freeing her from the lake-weed vines which had been used on all the hostages. Both students will recover fully from their injuries.

"In light of these events points are awarded to the champions as follows: Harry Potter was the only champion to complete the task within the time allotted. Despite some differing opinions, he is awarded 50 points." Harry noticed Bagman and Dumbledore were glaring at Karkaroff as he Bagman was speaking.

"Cedric Diggory, who completed the task in just over one hour, is awarded 47 points. Viktor Krum and Fleur Delacour finished together and in fact assisted each-other on the mission despite rules stating no champion was allowed to help any other. In the circumstances, however, it has been agreed that neither champion will be penalised. Instead both have been awarded 40 point for their efforts.

"After the second task the champions' scores are as follows: Potter – 93; Diggory – 82; Krum – 80; and Delacour – 76."

Loud applause greeted Bagman's announcement of the scores. Harry and Tracey had by now reached the other champions and both were looking suspiciously at Hermione's wound. Bagman had claimed Krum's knife had slipped while he was cutting through the vines but the wound they could see was no knife wound. It looked more like a bite.

Sirius joined them a moment later. "Clearly the so-called safety precautions were not up to scratch," he muttered just loud enough for them to hear. He approached Hermione. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine. It's only a scratch," she replied. Everybody present could see it was more than just a scratch.

Sirius stepped away and pulled out an old piece of parchment. A moment later he approached Hermione again and reached out, plucking a beetle out of her hair. "I'll take care of this for you," he said.

Sirius pointed his wand at the beetle. There was a sudden flash of light which caught everybody's attention. Sirius dropped the beetle which suddenly began to grow. Seconds later Rita Skeeter stood where the beetle had been moments earlier. Another flash of light and Skeeter lay unmoving on the ground. "That will hold her long enough for the aurors to get here," Sirius said. "With your permission, Headmaster, I would like to join Harry and the others. Is somebody able to take care of her for me?"

"How did you know that beetle was Rita Skeeter?" Dumbledore asked.

"The same way we caught Peter Pettigrew last year: a secret artefact from my personal collection."

"I'll take care of this for you," Professor Moody said as he limped over and pointed his wand at the immobilised figure of Rita Skeeter. "Nice petrifying charm by the way, Black."

Madam Umbridge had now joined them. "Professor Dumbledore. I was under the impression you had banned Ms. Skeeter from the grounds and yet here she is. Explain."

"Rita Skeeter is clearly an unregistered animagus who has been using this ability to spy on people. It is thanks to Mr. Black that she has been caught. In doing so Sirius has fulfilled the task I set him; that being to provide additional security at Hogwarts during the Tri-Wizard Tournament. I think our highest priority now is to get the students back into castle. Minerva? Can you handle that while I await the aurors," Dumbledore said.

"All students are to return to your Common Rooms. You have until after lunch to do whatever you wish but remember you do have classes this afternoon. Dismissed," McGonagall said.

Harry spent the next couple of hours describing what happened in the lake to his enthralled housemates. Among the questions he faced were: What is it like being deep underwater? Were you worried about being attacked by monsters? What were the Merpeople like? And: Do you have any idea how Granger got hurt?

He did his nest to answer these and other questions. Some of them he simply had no answer for. He didn't speculate about how Hermione's injuries had occured. He had seen enough, however, to know they were bite marks: a fact he kept to himself.

After lunch classes resumed but nobody was really interested in the lesson. Especially after Dumbledore knocked on the door and asked to speak to Draco Malfoy. They later learnt Malfoy had gotten himself a weeks' worth of detentions. Apparently he had been helping Rita Skeeter get into the grounds and knew all about her being an unregistered animagus.

That night Draco was forced to explain his actions. "The truth is I was helping her get information on several different people in exchange for leaving Harry alone," he began. "Let me assure you I would never do anything to endanger Harry, or any other Slytherin. Skeeter wanted dirt so I helped her learn things about other, less important people. I think most people here would agree Hagrid shouldn't be a teacher. He has no qualifications and clearly doesn't know how dangerous some of those things he shows us in class really are."

"That is certainly true," Pansy said.

"I have to agree with Malfoy on that," Nott added.

"Even so, what makes you think helping Skeeter is ok? You know she was banned from the grounds," Harry said.

Malfoy looked straight at Harry. "I was doing it to help you."

"You should have told Snape or Dumbledore," Harry replied. "If the truth about Skeeter had come out sooner we would all be better off now. You wouldn't be in trouble and I wouldn't have had to spend the last couple of weeks trying to avoid her."

"I don't know why you like Hagrid," Malfoy replied angrily. "Professor Grubbly-Plank was a much better teacher and I for one learnt more from her in those few lessons than I learnt from Hagrid in the whole of last year."

"We're not talking about Hagrid," Tracey interrupted. "We were talking about why you've been helping Skeeter. And anyway I'm just as concerned about what happened to Granger and Delacour; especially after we were assured no lives would be put in danger during the tournament."

"Yeah, about that," Nott said. "There are so many things that could have gone wrong already in this tournament it's surprising there have been so few serious injuries."

"I just hope the last task won't be so dangerous," Harry said.

"Do you know what the last task is yet?" asked Tracey.

"No. We haven't been told anything yet," Harry said. "I think there might be an investigation going on into what happened today. No doubt I will be told more in due course, however."

Nothing more was said about the tournament until Saturday morning when Dumbledore asked all four champions to meet him in the room they had gone into the night they were selected. There he said the third task would happen on June 24 and that more information would be supplied at a later date.

That afternoon Sirius called Harry and asked to meet him that evening. At this meeting Sirius said, "I have some news about Barty Crouch senior and Rita Skeeter. It will be published in tomorrow's daily prophet anyway but I think you should know now."

"Ok. What's happened?" Harry asked.

"Crouch senior died this morning of a heart attack. Prior to his death, however, he was convicted by the Wizengamot for aiding a prisoner to escape from Azkaban; of unlawfully detaining someone without their consent and of being an accessory to the disappearance and possible murder of Bertha Jorkins, a Ministry of Magic official who has been missing since July last year. Apparently she found out about Crouch hiding his son and was going to reveal all until he wiped her memory and had her transferred to another Department."

"Is his death suspicious?"

"No. He died as he was being escorted from the courtroom. It seems he just couldn't handle the shock of what had happened.

"As for Rita Skeeter, she has been sentenced to one year in Azkaban and heavily fined. You won't need to worry about her for a while," Sirius finished.

"Thanks for telling me this."

"Do you know what the third task is yet?"

"Only that it will take place on June 24. We will be given more information closer to the date."

"Keep practicing whenever you can. You are comfortably in the lead and most people now expect you to win from here but remember your original plan. You don't have to win, you just need to do your best." Sirius then pulled the Marauder's Map out of the bag he was carrying and gave it to Harry. "I'm going to be away for the next month or so developing the new mirror phones and getting them ready for release at the end of June but no doubt you'll find a use for this."

"Thanks, Sirius, although I intend concentrating on my classes for now," Harry said.

"Don't study too hard. Make sure you have some fun while I'm away; just don't get caught," Sirius said, laughing.

"Don't worry, I won't get caught. Bye. Sirius."

"Bye. Harry.

When he returned to the Common Room he told the others about Crouch and Skeeter and, later, told Tracey about the rest of his conversation including the fact he had the map back.


	22. 22 The Pensieve

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 22: The Pensieve**

From then until Easter things settled back into the normal Hogwarts routine – classes, homework, more classes, more homework etc. Harry was relieved by this since the first half of the term had been anything but routine. He also now knew how his name had got into the Goblet of Fire, Barty Crouch junior had been responsible, but he still did not know why. He was still assuming it had been a failed attempt to kill him but with Crouch junior now being dead he could never know for sure.

Also, now that Rita Skeeter was out of the picture, he no longer had to worry about her slanderous articles. This was itself a great comfort to him.

The arrival of the Easter Holidays saw Sirius' return. His absence since the second task had left Harry feeling lonely even though he still had all his friends with him. As usual Harry had chosen to stay at Hogwarts over Easter and once again Sirius would be taking up residence in the castle meaning they could talk whenever they wanted to face to face.

It was during one of these meetings that Harry mentioned a strange dream he had.

"I had this dream a few nights ago," he began. "It was similar to the dream I had over summer. Voldemort was there with Wormtail. Voldemort was angry that his original plan had failed but he was now happy because he had come up with a new plan and Wormtail had a major role in it. I think he intends using the Imperius curse on another Ministry official who has easy access to Hogwarts."

"That could be virtually any of the Ministry of Magic Officials involved with the Tri-Wizard Tournament or indeed any reason for visiting Hogwarts," Sirius said. "That means a lot of options. Do you have any further information?"

"Not at the moment, although I don't think he intends moving until the next task. I got the impression he was waiting for the right opportunity."

"I'll look into it. I am going to speak to Dumbledore; let him know how things are looking."

"Thanks, Sirius. I haven't told anybody else about this yet and I'm not planning on telling anyone either. I'll keep in touch in case I do discover anything else," Harry said.

The next day Sirius called Harry via the mirror phone and asked Harry to meet him that evening in the Headmaster's office. Harry arrived at the Gargoyle at the prescribed time and found Sirius waiting for him. As they made their way up the stairs Sirius explained exactly what was happening.

"When I told Dumbledore you were experiencing visions of what Voldemort was planning he became very interested," Sirius explained. "I got the impression he was not all that surprised which made me very curious to say the least. When I pressed for more information he asked me to bring you to his office so he could explain to both of us what he thinks is happening."

Sirius knocked on Dumbledore's door and it opened immediately. "Come in Harry, Sirius. Please take a seat," said Dumbledore.

After they had sat down Dumbledore began. "Harry, I believe when Lord Voldemort tried to kill you when you were a baby and his spell backfired a part of him may have become separated and, being unable to return to his original body, attached itself to the nearest living thing it could find; you. It is my belief that this connection allows you access to his mind. These visions you have been experiencing appear to be insights into his emotions. When he experiences a strong emotion it is projected onto you, allowing you to experience it as well."

"So, does this mean I can read his mind?" Harry asked.

"No. It is something more akin to empathy."

"Empathy?"

"You sense what he is thinking and react to it," Dumbledore explained. "You cannot read his thoughts nor can you manipulate them. Voldemort's emotions cause you to respond but he cannot detect your reaction, nor can he sense your thoughts or emotions."

"Is there anything Harry can do to stop receiving these signals?" Sirius asked.

"There is an obscure branch of magic called Occlumency. It is a method of closing one's mind to stop others sensing your thoughts and memories. The opposite of Occlumency is Legilimency. This is a skill that allows you to deliberately penetrate the mind of another and possibly place false images of events which are not, in fact, real," said Dumbledore.

"Do you think that is what Voldemort is trying to do?" Harry asked.

"No," Dumbledore replied. "I do not think Voldemort has any idea such a connection exists. All the same, I think it may be wise for you to try and learn Occlumency in case he should become aware of the connection at some point in the future. That can wait, however, since you still have the third Tri-wizard task to prepare for."

"So I still have to compete?" Harry asked, sounding disappointed.

"Yes," Dumbledore replied. "Even though we know now how your name ended up in the Goblet there is no way of withdrawing. And, since you hold such a significant lead in the tournament, I see no reason for you to not continue."

"You are leading by a clear margin, Harry," Sirius said. "I know you don't want to compete and your first priority should still be survival but, if an opportunity arises for you to win, I think you should take it."

Harry wasn't all that happy to hear that but he nodded in acceptance.

"Now," Dumbledore said. "If you do happen to have another insight into Voldemort's thinking I would like you to inform me at the earliest opportunity. I do not want you to deliberately try to sense his feelings, that could be very dangerous especially if he detects your presence, but should you sense something I would like to know."

"Of course sir, thank you," Harry replied.

The new term started with no information being supplied to the champions regarding the third task. The only news was that the Quidditch pitch would be out-of-bounds until further notice. Since there was no inter-house Quidditch the staff had decided this would be a good time to complete some maintenance and renovations on the facilities. Apparently there had been no real maintenance work done for several years other than essential repairs and a major renovation was overdue. All players from all the house teams as well as many other students were disappointed to hear this.

It was during the middle of May that Harry next had a vision. It was during a History of Magic class when Professor Binns was as usual droning on about whatever the topic of the lecture was. Harry fell asleep and suddenly found himself in a house he had never seen before. Voldemort was there with Wormtail and another person Harry couldn't identify. Harry awoke with a start startling those sitting near him. In accordance with Dumbledore's wishes Harry decided to immediately tell the Headmaster.

"Professor Binns?" Harry asked loudly, startling several other people out of their slumber.

"Yes?" Binns asked, looking surprised.

"I am feeling sick. Could I be excused from class to go to the hospital wing, please?"

"Feeling sick? Yes, you may go, Perkins."

"It's Potter sir. Thank you," Harry replied. He quickly packed his bag and left the room.

Harry went straight to Dumbledore's office. He climbed the stairs and was about to knock on the door when he heard voices on the other side. He listened for a moment and realised one of Dumbledore's visitors was Cornelius Fudge. Harry was deciding whether to knock when the door opened suddenly.

"Harry?" a surprised Fudge said. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Harry replied quickly. "I just need to see the Headmaster about something I just heard."

"Wait here, Harry." Dumbledore said. "I will be back shortly. I assume it has something to do with our recent discussion?"

"Yes it is, sir. Thank you."

Fudge, Dumbledore and Madam Umbridge who was also present headed down the staircase leaving Harry alone. He was just about to call Sirius on the mirror phone when he noticed a strange flickering light through the partly closed door of one of the cupboards. Since the only other living thing in the room was Fawkes, Dumbledore's pet phoenix, he decide to have a closer look.

He approached the cupboard and opened the door. Inside was a basin not dissimilar in appearance to the basin that had contained the Locket. Carefully he examined it. The runes around the basin told him it was a memory recording bowl called a pensieve. In it he could see what looked like silvery threads which moved at random. As he bent down to take a closer look a picture began appearing in the middle. He peered closely at it and, purely by accident, his nose touched the surface.

He fell into a square, stone room. In the middle sat a single chair. Ominously this chair had chains wrapped around its arms. Surrounding the chair were a series of benches that were raised in steps so the occupants all had a good view of it. Nearly all the benches were occupied. Right next to Harry sat Professor Dumbledore while he also recognised several others, including Cornelius Fudge. Harry knew he was viewing a memory and realised nobody there had any idea he was present. He settled back to await developments.

Presently a man was led into the chamber and placed in the chair. The chains snaked around his arms and held him in place. Harry was surprised to see it was Igor Karkaroff. He listened as Karkaroff attempted to buy his freedom. Karkaroff produced several names but only one was apparently new; Augustus Rookwood, a Ministry of Magic employee, who had not previously been suspected of being a Death-eater. This was apparently enough to buy Karkaroff his freedom, however.

The scene around Harry dissolved. Soon it reformed into the same room but evidently a different day and a different trial. He was again surprised to realise he recognised the prisoner; Ludo Bagman. As the trial proceeded Harry realised Bagman was innocent. He had been tricked by Rookwood into selling information for a promotion at the Ministry. Bagman was cleared and the scene dissolved once again.

The third trial saw several people brought in. One he recognised immediately; it was Barty Crouch junior. The other three were introduced as the Lestrange's; Bellatrix (Sirius' cousin), her husband and his brother.

During this trial Harry learned it was a family named Longbottom they had tortured. Harry realised they must be Neville's parents. Having seen more than enough he stood up and found himself back in Dumbledore's office. After a few moments to re-orientate himself he sat down and waited for the Headmaster to return.

"Harry," Dumbledore said when he returned. "To what do I owe pleasure of your visit?"

"I was in History of Magic just now and fell asleep," Harry began realising how bad that sounded but continued. "Anyway, I had a dream about Voldemort. He was with Wormtail and another person I didn't recognise and they were plotting some new tactics. Since their previous plan had failed they were going to try something different but I couldn't find out exactly what. I think they may be planning to kidnap somebody."

Dumbledore sat back in his seat. "Have you told Sirius this yet?"

"No, sir. That was next on my list."

"Very well. Contact Sirius and tell him what you just told me. I will contact the Ministry and advise them of a possible kidnap plot against an unknown but probably important person. In the meantime I want you to concentrate on safely completing the third Tri-Wizard task. You have a good chance of winning and it would be a highly prestigious honour for you if you succeeded. And, by the way, if you want to poke around my office without my knowing about it I recommend you close the cupboard doors properly when you finish," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye.

Harry looked and realised the door to the cupboard with the pensieve was wide open.


	23. 23 Final Prparations

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 23: Final Preparations**

"I'm sorry, sir," Harry said. "I know I shouldn't have done it."

"Curiosity itself is not a sin, Harry," Dumbledore said. "But, there are some things which you should not trouble yourself with. You need to remember the old saying 'Curiosity killed the Kneezle' or, in light of what has been revealed this year, curiosity killed Bertha Jorkins."

Harry realised his actions had been foolish. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "I shouldn't have done it and I won't do it again."

Dumbledore nodded. "What did you see when you entered my memories?"

"Your memories, sir?"

"Yes. Did you not notice you were always next to me?"

Harry realised now that was, indeed, the case. "I viewed three memories. The first one was about Professor Karkaroff. I saw him bargain his way out of Azkaban by naming several other Death-eaters, including Professor Snape."

"Ah yes. I recall only one name was of any use, but it was enough. Augustus Rookwood turned out to be one of Voldemort's closest allies. He was responsible for many deaths. Please continue."

"The second one was Mr. Bagman. I could tell straight away he was innocent. Sir, the third one was Barty Crouch Junior and the Lestrange's. Were they talking about Neville Longbottom's parents?"

"They were," Dumbledore replied. "I don't imagine Neville has told you any of this?"

"No," Harry said. "I can't recall us ever really even speaking together. Sirius did tell me his cousin had been in the group, along with Crouch junior, who had tortured an innocent couple into insanity and that it was up to this person to reveal the truth when they were ready, and I have kept my word on it."

"That is good to hear. Sirius is quite correct and I must insist you continue to keep your word in regard to this matter. Neville visits his parents every Christmas but they do not recognise him. One year it was decided by his grandmother he should stay at Hogwarts because their condition was worse than usual but that is the only time he has not kept this regular appointment, although he did visit them after New Year's.

"Now; back to the task at hand. Thank you for keeping me up to date and best of luck for the final task," Dumbledore finished.

A little over a week later Harry, along with the other champions were summoned to an evening meeting with the Tri-Wizard judges. Mr. Bagman and Madam Umbridge led the quartet to the Quidditch stadium where Bagman informed them of the parameters for the third task. He led them into the stadium where they saw their nice clean, smooth Quidditch pitch had been carved up by what turned out to be hedges.

"What have they done?" Cedric asked in a shocked voice.

"Well, what do you think?" Bagman asked happily. "Hagrid said give them another month and they'll be 20 feet high. Don't worry; you'll have your Quidditch pitch back once the task is over." Bagman beamed at the champions, most of whom looked less than impressed at this new development. "Can anyone guess what we're creating here?"

Nobody spoke for a moment them Krum said, "Maze."

"Correct," Bagman shouted, smiling broadly at Krum. "The third task is quite straightforward. The Tri-Wizard cup will be placed at the centre of the maze and whoever touches it first wins and will become Tri-Wizard champion."

"We seemply have to get through a maze?" Fleur asked.

"There will be obstacles," Bagman said. "Hagrid will be providing a number of creatures, and there will be traps and spells which you will need to overcome… all that sort of thing. Now, you will enter the maze according to how many points you've scored in the first two tasks. Harry, since you have 93 points you will enter first, and with a significant advantage. Cedric, who has 82 points, will enter 11 minutes after Harry; then Mr. Krum (80 points) will enter two minutes later and finally Mlle Delacour (76 points) will enter four minutes later. You will all have a chance depending on how well you cope with the obstacles. Should be fun, right?"

Harry wasn't sure of that. Even though he didn't take Care of Magical Creatures he knew from what his housemates had said some of these creatures were better described as dangerous monsters. He nodded his acknowledgement, however.

"Very well. Any questions... no… right then, back to the castle. It is a bit chilly out here."

The students headed back to their respective accommodations. As Harry was walking next to Cedric, Bagman hurried to join him. Harry guessed Bagman would try and offer him some help so he quickly engaged Cedric in conversation. "I hope the Quidditch pitch is restored to its normal condition soon. I haven't had a chance to fly since the first task."

"I haven't flown all year," Cedric replied. "Quite disappointing, really. So, you have an 11 minute head start over the rest of us. Looks like my work is cut out for me."

"I don't know if it will really help me much. I don't take Care of Magical Creatures so I don't know the best method for getting past them."

"Oh, I'm sure there are plenty of books in the library that can help you there," Bagman said. Both Harry and Cedric turned to him.

"No doubt there are," Harry said. "I'm sure I can find them on my own, too."

"As will I," Cedric added.

When they reached the entrance Harry said good bye to Cedric and nodded to Bagman before hurrying off to the Common Room.

Harry quickly explained what the final task involved to any who would listen – essentially the whole of Slytherin house. Draco was the first to suggest spells he may find useful.

"Since it's a hedge maze the Incendio spell may be useful but you should also practice Aguamenti just in case the fire gets too big," he said. "Stunning spells will work on most creatures although maybe not on Hagrid's 'pets'."

"Body-binding spells could be handy, too," Daphne added.

"Not all the things in the maze will be alive," Tracey said. "You will need to practice other things as well such as Rune-breaking."

"What you're saying is I need to practice all sorts of things if I am to win," Harry said. "What if I only plan to survive?"

"Potter, you have a huge lead; and Slytherin house pride is at stake. You can't let a Hufflepuff beat you," Warrington said.

"Not just Slytherin house pride either," Montague added. "This is a battle of the Seekers; Potter, Krum and Diggory go head-to-head to determine who is the best."

"Don't forget about Delacour," a seventh-year girl said. "She might beat you all."

"Getting back on Topic," Tracey said before an argument could develop, "if Harry's going to learn these spells he is going to need to practice, and since we have exams coming up we cannot really help too much."

"We could all take turns helping him," Daphne suggested. "Harry gets plenty of practice and we only miss one day's studying each.

"I think for most of it I could practice alone," Harry said. "Occasionally I will need help but I don't think it will be too often."

"You could practice curses on Gryffindors," Draco said.

"I don't think that will be necessary," Harry replied while glaring at Draco.

"Anyway, it is getting late; let's make our plans in the morning," Tracey said before heading off to bed. The others also headed to their rooms.

Harry did spend much of his free time over the next month practicing spells and anything else he felt would be useful. A lot of this time Sirius helped and advised him meaning Harry didn't need to cut into his housemates' study time except on a few occasions.

By the 24th of June, while the other students were preparing for their final exams, Harry was preparing for the final task. At breakfast Dumbledore announced that the task would happen that evening, starting at 9-30, and that the stands in the Quidditch stadium will be opening at 9-00.

"9-30 huh," Malfoy said. "I hope you win; Slytherin house pride is on the line here."

"Don't be silly Draco, I'm sure Harry will win," Pansy put in from her nearby seat.

Meanwhile Snape was approaching. "Potter," he began, "when you finish your breakfast you are to go into the chamber where the champions gathered on the night they were chosen where your 'family' are waiting for you." Snape immediately returned to the teachers' table.

"He must mean Sirius," harry said. "Nobody else is likely to be there."

"Oh, you never know," Tracey hinted.

"Who else is there?" asked Harry.

"You'll see," she replied, mischievously.

Confused, Harry entered the chamber. Sirius was there, of course, but also present was Mrs. Davis who stood to greet him immediately.

"Good morning, Harry," she said. Sirius moved to stand beside her.

"Mrs. Davis? I wasn't expecting you," Harry replied.

"Sirius was the only one likely to be here so I took a day off to some and support you," she said.

"Hello. Harry," Sirius said. "Although I'm here for work I will do whatever I can to help you."

"What do you mean; work?" Harry asked.

"I, along with several of the teachers, will be patrolling the perimeter of the maze just in case any champion needs help. Obviously, asking for help will disqualify you from the task, however."

Harry realised this would be an opportunity for him to withdraw while still fulfilling all his obligations as a champion but he also realised that to withdraw for no reason would be a breach of the rules. He decided the first dangerous situation he found himself in would be his ticket to freedom.

Around him in the room were the other champions. Cedric was with his father and a woman who must be his mother; Fleur was chatting in French to her mother and to Gabrielle, the young girl she had been tasked with rescuing during the second task; and Krum was with what Harry assumed must be his parents. He thought Krum's parents were even surlier looking than Krum himself.

Harry spent the rest of the morning enjoying the sunny weather. Much of the time was spent by the lake. Because nearly everybody had exams the grounds were deserted apart from Hagrid and his class. It looked as though their exam consisted of feeding worms and Harry couldn't help wondering where the Blast-ended Skrewts his housemates had mentioned had gone to. Privately he hoped they were all dead or at least removed from the grounds.

After lunch the Slytherin table, where Harry realised Robert had known his mother was coming too, he excused himself to begin final preparations for that evening. He reviewed several spells he had practiced in anticipation, including stunning, immobilising and repelling spells for use against creatures as well as spells such as Incendio which he could use to burn through the maze, and a handy spell called "Point me" Daphne had shown him which would always allow him to find north. He knew the cup was at the centre of the maze and he knew where the entrance was so he thought it should be fairly easy to get from 'A' to 'B' so to speak.

At 9-00 Harry joined the other champions at the entrance to the maze. All the judges were there, including Madam Umbridge who looked totally disinterested in what was going on. He thought this was strange; even though she had only assumed the position as head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation a few months earlier Harry thought she should have shown more enthusiasm for the event. Bagman, in contrast, was practically bouncing around like a balloon in a strong wind.

Just before 9-30 Bagman called for everybody's attention. He announced the starting order and the gaps between each champion entering the maze. Next, he turned to the champions and said, "Is everybody ready? Harry, all set? Excellent! Let's get started."

Bagman put the whistle to his mouth and blew hard.


	24. 24 The Third Task

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 24: The Third Task**

Harry entered the maze. He may have a big advantage at the start but if he dawdled too much that would quickly disappear. Jogging down the path he turned left at first fork he came to. Instantly all sound from outside the maze cut off. Casting "Lumos" he continued at a steady rate waiting for the first obstacle.

This arrived in the form of a strange, golden mist which seemed to hang motionless in mid-air. Although it seemed harmless he approached it cautiously. He cast a couple of spells which had no effect whatsoever and he was considering turning around when he heard a sharp whistle. Cedric had just entered the maze so Harry decided to push on.

The moment he touched the maze his world was turned upside down. The mist was a gravity reversing spell set by a master but contained within a small space. After a moment's hesitation he decided to take the plunge. The moment his second foot left the ground the world righted itself and he fell to the ground. He hurried away from the mist just as the whistle went for the third time. A surprisingly short time later it sounded again and he began thinking the maze was somehow causing time to flow faster than normal. More likely however, he decided, his own actions were slower than normal.

The next few obstacles were of no serious threat and he was beginning to think he might have an easy run when he suddenly found himself lying flat on the ground having bounced off an invisible barrier.

A careful check using diagnostic spells he had learnt revealed an energy barrier that he could negate with a rune. He noticed a number of small stones like those he had been working with in Ancient Runes stacked nearby so he picked one up and inscribed a simple rune of passage on it. This created a small opening in the barrier which he was able to pass through safely.

Soon after, however, he found himself facing a far more dangerous threat. The creature was 10' long and resembled a giant scorpion. 'This must be a Blast-ended-Skrewt' he thought. He tried a stunning spell but it merely bounced off the creature's shell, causing him to duck quickly to avoid the rebound.

Suddenly a burst of flame shot out of its end, propelling the beast towards him. He dodged and fired off "Impedimenta" but that, too, bounced off. Just as the Skrewt lunged at him he fired off a stunning spell aimed, this time, at its belly. The Skrewt stopped; not unconscious but dazed. Harry took the opportunity to run away quickly.

After ensuring he was well away from the Skrewt he paused to regain his bearings. He used the 'Point me' spell to determine the best route forward, choosing a path that looked clear of any obstacles. After rounding a corner, however, he found himself facing a dementor.

Everything went cold. Harry concentrated on a happy memory, pointed his wand at it and shouted "Expecto Patronum." A brilliant, silver stag erupted from his wand and charged the dementor which suddenly tripped over itself. Surprised, he suddenly realised it was actually a boggart. He laughed and shouted "Riddiculus" while pointing his wand at it. The boggart exploded with a loud crack and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. He set off once again.

For several minutes nothing happened. Thinking he must be close to the centre of the maze he again cast the "point me" spell and followed its heading.

Suddenly a series of loud bangs erupted from the other side of a hedge very near him. Harry could hear shouts and it sounded as if the other champions had started a duel. He cast "Incendio" and burned a hole in the hedge through which he could see Cedric fighting Krum and Fleur. A stunner from Cedric hit Fleur who was knocked unconscious and then he attacked Krum. Cedric hit him with a stunner and, upon seeing Harry, turned and attacked him also. Harry blocked the spell then fired off a stunner of his own which hit Cedric ending the battle.

After regaining his breath Harry surveyed the scene. He had seen enough to know Cedric had been the attacker but couldn't think of a reason why he should have done it. All three were now unconscious and both Fleur and Krum were bleeding. He knew they would need medical help and thought that Cedric, as the aggressor, didn't deserve to win. This meant he was the sole remaining champion so he decided to summon help for all three. He felt the judges could sort this out for themselves so he fired red stars into the air before leaving the scene.

As Harry went further into the maze it steadily got darker. Even with the help of the 'point me' spell he got lost on more than one occasion before finally realising he was wondering around in circles. Trying a completely new tactic he chose a path that seemed to take him in the opposite direction to which he needed to go. This proved to be a wise choice as it took him to a new, unobstructed path which led him into a part of the maze he had not yet entered. With renewed confidence, he set off into it.

Even though it was now night-time it seemed to him that the sky was darker than would be expected and he wondered if the maze itself was contributing to it. He was shaken out of this thought pattern when he rounded a corner and found the path blocked by a huge creature with the head of a human woman and the body of a lion. He knew what it was; a sphinx; but he had never expected to meet one.

"Beyond me is the quickest route to your goal," The sphinx said in a deep voice. "But, if you wish to pass me you will need to answer a riddle. If you choose not to answer I will allow you leave and find another path. If you answer correctly I will allow you to pass. If, however, you answer incorrectly I will attack. Do you agree to these terms?"

After a moment's thought Harry said, "I agree. What is the riddle?"

The sphinx stands in the middle of the path and asks, "A 10 foot rope ladder hangs over the side of a boat with the bottom rung on the surface of the water. The rungs are one foot apart, and the tide goes up at the rate of 6 inches per hour. How long will it be until three rungs are covered?"

Harry started doing some quick maths. 'Six inches is half a foot so the water will rise 1 foot in 2 hours,' he started but then he realised the ladder was attached to a boat and boats float in water. 'As the water rises the boat will rise with it, meaning that three rungs will never be covered,' he thought.

Thinking this over he realised this was the answer. "The boat is floating in the water," he began. "As the tide goes up the boat will go up with it so the third rung will never be covered by the water."

The sphinx looked at him before speaking. "You are correct. I will let you pass but beware; one great danger remains before you reach your goal. It is the subject of another riddle if you wish to try and solve it."

"If I am unable to answer the next riddle will you harm me?" Harry asked.

"No. you have already passed the test so there will be no consequence; other than facing an unknown danger."

"Alright, what is the next riddle?" Harry asked, deciding the more information he had the better.

The sphinx nodded and said:

" _First think of a person who lives in disguise,_

 _Who deals in secrets and tells nought but lies,_

 _Next tell me what's always the last thing to mend,_

 _The middle of middle and the end of the end?_

 _And finally give me the sound often heard_

 _During the search for a hard-to-find word._

 _Now string them together and answer me this,_

 _What creature would you be unwilling to kiss?"_

Harry stared at the sphinx. The riddle was much harder than the first one and did not seem to make any sense. The obvious answer was a dementor but he thought that was unlikely to say the least. More likely it was another of Hagrid's "pets".

He asked the sphinx to repeat it slowly. As she did so he noted the middle of it gave a very clear clue. The middle part had to be the letter 'D'. Thinking about how that related to the first and third parts the answer suddenly dawned on him. "Spider. The answer is a spider."

"You are correct. Good luck."

Harry thanked the sphinx and proceeded cautiously all the while thinking about how to defeat a spider.

When he saw it he realised it was no ordinary one. It was an Acromantula like the one he had seen in Tom Riddle's diary over two years ago. He cast "Lumos" and tried to drive it away with bright light and although it made the spider stop it didn't retreat. Pointing his wand at the hedge he cast "Incendio" hoping the flames would scare it away. In this he was partially successful; the spider retreated enough for him to run past it. Casting "Incendio" again to prevent it coming after him he set off at a jog to the cup which he could now clearly see right in front of him.

When he reached it he paused to regain his breath. To win the Tri-Wizard Tournament all he had to do was pick it up. He relaxed and grabbed the handle nearest to him.

Instantly he felt a sharp tug behind his navel. Then he was flying through the air. Only once previously had he felt such a sensation. That had been the Port-key to the Quidditch World Cup 10 months earlier and he assumed he would be taken back to the judges table. He was not prepared for what he saw when the Port-key stopped, however.

When he picked himself up off the ground he found he was in a graveyard. Wand at the ready, he cautiously looked around. Nothing looked familiar to him. On a nearby hill he saw an old, ivy-covered manor house while all around him were gravestones. He had just decided to go to the old house when he saw someone moving nearby. He turned to face this person but, before he could speak, a sharp pain tore across his scar. He threw his hand to it but was immediately hit by a flash of red light.

When he regained consciousness he discovered he was now tied to a gravestone and had been gagged. He couldn't move or speak; all he could do was look at a large cauldron that had been placed in front of him. A moment later a figure walked past him carrying a bundle of cloth. After placing the bundle on the ground next to the cauldron the carrier turned to face Harry. With a shock he realised the person was Peter Pettigrew.

After a moment Pettigrew turned his attention to the cauldron, lighting a fire underneath it. Next, he picked up the bundle and removed a creature, the likes of which Harry had never seen before. Although vaguely human, it was like no human Harry had ever seen before; hairless and with reddish-black skin; it looked like a demon from a horror story.

"Hurry," the creature said in a high, cold voice. Pettigrew placed it in the cauldron and began what assumed must be a ritual. In response to Wormtail summoning a bone from the father the ground split open at Harry's feet and a stream of dust floated into the cauldron. Next Wormtail cut off his own hand and added it to the cauldron. Then, after stabbing Harry in the arm and taking some blood which also went into the cauldron, Wormtail finished the chant. Moments later, after some brilliant flashes of light, a figure emerged from the cauldron. Harry knew who it was; Lord Voldemort had returned.


	25. 25 The Return of Lord Voldemort

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 25: The Return of Lord Voldemort**

Harry watched in horror as Voldemort examined his own body. Voldemort took a wand from the pocket of his robes and examined it before returning his attention to his own body. He ignored Harry and Pettigrew, the latter now laying on the ground sobbing and bleeding profusely. Only now did Harry see the snake slithering across the ground toward him. The snake's arrival seemed to finally attract Voldemort's attention. After looking at the snake and his wand Voldemort laughed. His voice high and menacing.

"My Lord," whimpered Wormtail. "You promised…you did promise…"

"Hold out your arm," Voldemort replied.

"Oh, thank you, master." Wormtail held out his bleeding stump.

Voldemort laughed. "The other one, Wormtail."

"Please, master…"

Voldemort bent down and grabbed Wormtail's left arm. He forced the sleeve up past the elbow, allowing Harry to see a dark red tattoo of a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth – the Dark Mark.

"It's back," Voldemort said softly. "They will have noticed, but how many will come?"

Voldemort placed his finger on Wormtail's tattoo. Instantly a flash of agonising pain tore through Harry's scar. Wormtail screamed in agony. When Voldemort removed his finger Harry could see the mark had turned black.

"How many will be brave enough to return?" Voldemort whispered. "And how many will be foolish enough to stay away?"

He paced up and down in front of Harry for a moment before turning to Harry.

"You stand, Harry Potter, upon the grave of my father," he said softly. "A muggle and a fool, just like your mother. But they both had their uses; your mother died to defend you as a child, and I killed my father. See how useful he has proved tonight…"

Voldemort laughed and resumed his pacing. The snake followed him like an obedient puppy.

"See that house on the hillside, Potter? My father lived there. My mother, a witch who lived in the village fell in love with him. But he abandoned her when she told him what she was. My father didn't like magic. He left her and returned to that house before I was even born, and she died giving birth to me, leaving me to be raised in a muggle orphanage. But I found him. I had my revenge on the fool.

"I am getting sentimental, reliving family history. But now my true family returns."

The air was suddenly full of swishing cloaks as many wizards in hoods and masks appeared. Death-eaters. Slowly they advanced toward Voldemort. They seemed to almost line up before kneeling and grovelling to him where they kissed the hem of his robes.

"Master… master…" the first one murmured, before the others followed suit.

"Welcome. Death-eaters," Voldemort said softly. "Thirteen years since we last met; yet you answer my call as if it were yesterday… we all stand still united under the Dark Mark! Or do we? I smell guilt. There is the stench of guilt upon the air."

A shiver ran around the circle of death-eaters. None dared speak or move.

"I see you whole, and healthy, with your powers intact – such prompt appearances – and I ask myself; why did you never come to the aid of your master… to whom they swore eternal loyalty?"

Silence – apart from the still sobbing Wormtail.

"And I answer myself they must have believed me broken, they thought I was gone," Voldemort continued. "They slipped back among my enemies, pleading innocence, ignorance and bewitchment."

Voldemort continued along the same vein before finally turning to Wormtail. "Wormtail here has already repaid some of that debt, have you not, Wormtail? You returned to me, not out of loyalty, although you did go to Azkaban briefly, before managing to escape and coming to me. And for that, I, Lord Voldemort, will reward you."

Voldemort raised his wand and, with a twirling motion, sent a stream of what looked like molten silver toward Wormtail's wrist which formed into a glowing silver hand which attached itself where Wormtail's real hand had once been.

Wormtail stopped sobbing abruptly. His breathing harsh and ragged, he raised his head and looked at his new silver hand in disbelief. He picked up a twig and crushed it to dust. "My Lord," he gasped, "it is beautiful; thank you." he stumbled forward and kissed the hem of Voldemort's robe.

Standing up, Wormtail joined the circle of Death-eaters.

Next, Voldemort addressed some of the others. Harry tried to remember as many names as possible: Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Avery and Macnair. He mentioned the Lestranges, saying they would be honoured for their efforts adding the dementors would join him when Azkaban was broken open.

Finally, Voldemort reached a large gap in the circle. "Here we are missing six Death-eaters… three dead in my service. One too cowardly to return… he will pay. One who I believe has left me forever… he will die of course, and one, a faithful servant who returned to me and, as a penance for his earlier abandonment of me, agreed finish the job Crouch failed to complete and he has succeeded. Yes, he succeeded in infiltrating Hogwarts and became a Tri-Wizard judge. He sent me Harry Potter."

Several Death-eaters turned to Harry briefly. Voldemort waited before speaking again. "Harry Potter, the boy who was to be my downfall is now at my mercy. Until now, I have not been able to touch him… but no more… now I, Lord Voldemort can touch him."

Voldemort raised a long, white finger and approached Harry. He stopped inches from Harry's face. Then he touched Harry's cheek.

Harry felt the cold fingertip touch him, and thought his head would burst with the pain.

Voldemort began addressing the Death-eaters again. He spoke for some time about how none had come looking for him when he needed them. He berated them for their lack of faith. He said how they had all disappointed him.

Eventually he got to the point four years ago when Quirrell had found him and had taken him into Hogwarts right under Dumbledore's nose. How Quirrell had tried to steal the Philosopher's Stone for him so he could become immortal and how he had been thwarted by Harry Potter. He said Quirrell's failure had cost him his life. Harry knew that part wasn't true; Quirrell had died as a result of Voldemort possessing him for so long but he doubted any of the Death-eaters knew this. Even if they did, Harry knew they would never question Voldemort's version of events.

"Finally," Voldemort continued, "a servant returned to me a little over a year ago… not out of loyalty, although Wormtail did go to Azkaban albeit briefly, but because he had nowhere else to turn, having been found out and driven from his comfortable life as a rat.

"But the journey back to me was not smooth was it, Wormtail? On the edge of the very wood in which I was hiding, he foolishly stopped at an Inn for food… and whom should he meet there but Bertha Jorkins, a witch from the Ministry of Magic?

"But fortune favoured Lord Voldemort, for she failed to recognise him. Instead Wormtail was able to convince her to go for a stroll with him. He overpowered her… he brought her to me. With a little persuasion she became a veritable mine of information.

"She told me of the Tri-wizard Tournament… and, after much effort I broke through a memory charm and learnt of a loyal follower who would be only too willing to help me; Barty Crouch Junior. Crouch was a great help, until he got careless and was revealed to all. He is now dead… I mourn him for his honour and loyalty. But then another follower came to me and, with some minor changes, the plan was back on course… and, today, I stand triumphant."

Now, the time has come for me to show I, Lord Voldemort, am truly the greatest sorcerer ever." He turned to Harry. All the Death-eaters followed their master's gaze. Voldemort raised his wand and pointed at Harry. For a moment Harry thought he was going to die, tied to a gravestone and unable to defend himself. Instead, Voldemort shouted, "Crucio." In an instant Harry's body was raked with pain. He writhed against to gravestone, hitting his head on the stone more than once. Then the pain was gone.

"Wormtail," Voldemort said in a deathly whisper. "Untie him; and give him his wand."

Wormtail stepped up to the gravestone and cut the ropes holding Harry in place. Harry managed to keep his feet but his aching muscles were stiff and he doubted he would have time to warm up. Wormtail shoved Harry's wand into his hand before retreating to the ring of death eaters who had now closed ranks around Harry and Voldemort.

"First we bow to each other, Harry," Voldemort said bowing as he spoke. Harry didn't move.

"Come now, Harry we must obey the niceties of the dual. Bow," Voldemort shouted the last word. Harry tried to resist but felt his spine bend seemingly independent of his control. The Death-eaters laughed.

"That's more like it," Voldemort whispered. "Now, we dual. Crucio."

Before Harry could do anything he was raked with pain again. This time Voldemort kept it on for longer. Harry thought he would go mad from the pain, but then he thought of Neville Longbottom's parents. He would do whatever he could to avenge them and all other victims of Voldemort and his followers.

The pain stopped as abruptly as it had started. "Like that, Harry Potter?" Voldemort asked. Harry's response was a slashing spell that ripped up the ground between him and Voldemort, but Voldemort avoided it and sent a bolt of light straight back which Harry dodged by rolling aside and jumping back to his feet.

"Very good," Voldemort said. "But the time for playing games is over. Avada Kedavra."

Harry saw it coming and reacted instantly. "Expelliarmus," he shouted, aiming at Voldemort.

The beams from the two wands connected. Suddenly Harry and Voldemort were encased in a golden web. Harry was shocked, but a glance at Voldemort's face showed he, too, was just as surprised. They were then lifted into the air and deposited on an area of clear ground not far from the Tri-wizard cup which Harry could now see clearly.

Outside the web the Death-eaters scrambled to reform their ring. Everywhere confusion reigned. Inside it Harry could feel his wand getting hot, and could see beads of light slowly moving toward his end. The closer they got the hotter Harry's wand began to feel. He thought his wand might explode if the beads touched it.

Concentrating as hard as he could Harry forced the beads away from him. With a sharp push he forced them towards Voldemort's wand. At the same time Voldemort stumbled and feel to his knees. The momentary break in concentration saw the first bead enter Voldemort's wand; and then something amazing happened.

Shrieks of pain and flashes of light seemed to come from Voldemort's wand. Then a huge shadow began to emerge. The shadow fell to the ground but then stood up and Harry saw an old man. The man spoke with an echo-like voice. "So he's a real wizard is he? Fight him boy, don't let him win."

Shocked, Harry nodded before turning back to the wands. After more sounds and flashes another figure emerged. This was a woman – Bertha Jorkins. She, too, spoke to Harry. "Don't give. You can beat him; you must beat him." her voice was like an echo.

Then another figure emerged. This was a woman Harry had seen many times in pictures and in the memories the dementors had forced him to endure. A moment later Harry's mother, Lily Potter, nee Evans, stood before him. "Hang in there, Harry," she said. "Your father is coming. He will be here soon."

Harry's concentration dropped for a moment, but with the help of Voldemort's victims he held on. Then his father, James Potter, was there. "Harry," James said, "when I say now break the connection. We cannot stay long, but we will help you. Get back to Hogwarts and tell Dumbledore what has happened. I love you, son. Never forget that."

"Ready Harry?" Lily asked. Harry nodded. "I love you son; with all of my heart."

"Alright, Harry. Now," James shouted.

Harry pulled up hard and the connection broke. He turned and run towards the Tri-wizard cup as Voldemort shouted, "Stop him, do not kill him but stop him."

Several spells exploded around him. He dived to one side and turned. He could see shadowy figures surrounding Voldemort but had to quickly dodge another volley of spells. Weighing up his options, he decide to attack. "Incendio," shouted, slashing his wand behind him. A cone of flame erupted from the wand as he lunged for the cup. Behind him he heard a scream of pain. His spell had hit someone. Not caring whom he grabbed the cup. A sharp tug behind his navel told it had worked.


	26. 26 Aftermath

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 26: Aftermath**

Harry's feet hit the ground and he stumbled, falling to his knees. Around him there was a lot of noise, it seemed several people were shouting. He looked up and found himself looking into Professor Snape's eyes.

"Potter. Are you alright?" Snape asked urgently.

"I'm ok. Where is Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked.

"In his office. A situation has arisen but he is aware of the Dark Lord's return, as am I."

"Potter? You're bleeding," Professor McGonagall said. "We need to get you to Madam Pomfrey."

"The Headmaster has given strict instructions that Potter is to be taken to his office as soon as he returns," Snape said. "Show me your arm."

Harry did as he was told. Snape cast a complicated looking spell that quickly healed the wound, although it stung a lot during the process.

"Professors," Harry said urgently. "There is a Death-eater here at Hogwarts; Voldemort said so."

"We know," Snape replied. "I shall allow Black to explain to you along the way. Come, we must be going." Snape quickly led Harry away from the stadium towards the castle.

"Relax, Harry," Sirius said a moment later. "Snape is quite correct. We discovered there was an imposter here when Remus mirror-phoned me half an hour ago. Ludo Bagman was found dead at his home and a clump of his hair had been ripped out. When Remus told me that I knew who we were looking for. I stunned the fake Bagman and gave the mirror to Dumbledore so Remus and Madam Bones could explain to all the judges what had happened."

"Bagman's dead?" Harry asked in a shocked voice.

"I'm afraid so, yes," Sirius replied.

"Do you know who killed him?"

"Not yet; although the Polyjuice potion may have worn off by now," Sirius said. "The imposter was taken to Dumbledore's office and is being held there under guard. Madam Bones was bringing a squad of aurors to take control of the situation. Four of them are already at the stadium helping the other teachers keep things under control there.

"I assume you were the one you sent up the sparks that alerted us to the other champions needing help, since they were all unconscious. I had to get help from Professor Flitwick to quickly remove them from the maze. Although it was nice of you summon help, why didn't you stay there? As the only champion still conscious you would have won by default. There was no need for you to continue."

"I didn't want everybody assuming I had attacked them," Harry explained. "That is what they would have assumed either way but I wanted to give the judges time to sort it out first."

They entered the castle and Snape led them directly to the Headmaster's office. "For your information, Potter," Snape began, "when the other champions were revived Miss. Delacour and Mr. Krum immediately accused Diggory of attacking them. Your name only came up once. That was when Karkaroff accused Diggory of attacking the others and then sacrificing himself so you could win."

"I didn't even want to win," Harry said, "and there were a couple of times I considered just asking to be rescued. How are Tracey and the others?"

"Your friends are still in the stadium," Sirius said. "They, too, were surprised when you didn't pull out after the others were all unconscious."

"Many people were surprised when Black attacked a judge," Snape said. "It was necessary to protect him from several angry people. It was fortunate the Headmaster was able to regain control so quickly."

They reached the gargoyle that guarded the stairs to Dumbledore's office. After Snape gave the password they climbed in silence. At the top the door stood open. Through it Harry could see a number of people.

"You're here, good. Severus, Sirius, thank you for bringing Harry here so promptly," Dumbledore said as they entered.

Tied up on the floor under the gaze of two aurors was a man of about 50. When he saw Harry he asked, "Has the Dark Lord returned?"

"Silence!" shouted one of the aurors.

"That will do, Shacklebolt," Madam Bones said. "For your information, Mr. Nott, he is back, not that you will get to meet him."

"Nott?" Harry asked. "As in …"

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "This is indeed Theodore Nott's father, Nathaniel.

"Harry," he continued, "I know this may be hard but I need you tell us everything that happened after the Tri-Wizard Cup took you away from Hogwarts.

Harry sat down well away from the prisoner. Sirius handed him a glass of water which he accepted gratefully. After finishing it he explained as accurately as he could remember, including giving the names of the Death-eaters he could remember. He talked about the dust that emerged from the grave; how Wormtail cut off his own hand and how Wormtail then cut Harry's arm and added the blood to the potion. When it came to the dual afterwards Harry stopped. He didn't feel comfortable talking about what happened when the wands connected. He hoped Dumbledore would realise what had happened and would explain it more when they were alone.

When Harry stopped Madam Bones said, "I think we have enough information for now. We have already heard from Mr. Nott and we have more than enough evidence for a conviction. Shacklebolt, Dawlish, please remove the prisoner and put him in the highest security holding cell at the Ministry. Dumbledore, I will leave Hogwarts in your capable hands. I need to return to the Ministry and advice Fudge of these developments. Madam Umbridge will no doubt have already told him of what happened during the task. Good evening, Dumbledore." She said goodbye to everyone else before leaving with the aurors and the prisoner.

"Harry," Dumbledore began, "I want you to spend the night in the hospital wing. Although Professor Snape has undoubtedly tended to any injuries you have suffered but I would Madam Pomfrey to keep an eye on you just in case there are any long-term effects."

"I think that would be a good idea," Sirius said. "More importantly, however, what are we going to do for the remainder of the term? Harry currently shares a dormitory with the sons of four Death-eaters."

"One of those four will not be returning to Hogwarts this year," Dumbledore began. "Theodore Nott has been removed from the school early and is currently on his way to an uncle's house where he will remain until his future living arrangements are determined. However, you are correct regarding Messrs. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. That will require some careful planning and will be foremost in my thoughts until a solution is found. For now, Sirius, could you escort Harry to the hospital wing? Severus I would appreciate your help on an important matter. Incidentally, the Tri-wizard presentation will be made tomorrow during breakfast in the Great Hall. Good evening, Harry; Sirius."

When they reached the hospital wing they found Tracey already there, along with her mother and all the other champions, plus Madame Maxime. There was no sign of Karkaroff.

Madame Maxime stood and spoke to Harry. "M. Potter, what happened in the maze?"

"I think that can wait," Mrs. Davis said. "The Ministry of Magic has all the facts and I assume Harry has added anything he can. I suggest we wait until Dumbledore has finished sorting things out with them."

"Quite right," Madam Pomfrey said, shoving Sirius aside so she could tend to Harry. "Snape's work, I take it?" She indicated the scars from where Snape had healed Harry's wounds.

"Yeah," Harry said. "Where's Professor Karkaroff?"

"We think he's done a runner straight back to You-Know-Who," Tracey said. "Harry? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"I will decide that," Madam Pomfrey said as she gave Harry a quick check-up before applying Dittany to the scars.

Once Madam Pomfrey had finished she allowed the others a few more minutes so Harry could explain what happened after the battle in the maze. As soon as he had finished she ordered everybody other than the champions to leave. She separated them so there was at least one empty bed between each patient before giving each a sleeping draught.

Harry's rest was disrupted at one point when something landed on his bed. He woke up startled. "Who's there?" he shouted.

"Harry Potter needs to relax," a high pitched voice said. "Dobby has been asked to deliver a message to Harry Potter. It is from Dobby's Masters."

Harry could now make out a small figure holding a letter. Sitting up he asked, "Are you Dobby?"

"Yes sir. I is Dobby the house elf and my Masters wish is that Harry Potter reads this note." Dobby dropped the letter and vanished with a crack.

Putting his glasses on Harry cast 'Lumos' and began reading.

' _Dear Mr. Potter,'_ the letter began. _'I am writing so you may know some important facts. Firstly, and most importantly, you are in no danger while you remain at Hogwarts. Secondly, be aware that your friends are not necessarily your friends and that your enemies are not necessarily your enemies. Finally, I know what happened in the graveyard because I was there. I saw you defeat the Dark Lord and I wish to offer you my support.'_ The letter was unsigned.

The rest of the night passed without incident. All four champions were released first thing and were escorted to the Great Hall by Madam Maxime and Sirius. Harry took his usual seat between Blaise and Tracey while Daphne and Astoria sat opposite him. Harry chanced a glance at Malfoy and saw him in deep conversation with Crabbe and Goyle. They were talking quietly but it appeared Malfoy was giving instructions to the other two.

After Harry was announced as the champion and had been presented with his prize he remained at the table as everybody else was leaving. The other champions all came across to congratulate him and Diggory spoke on behalf of the other two in saying none of them believed Harry had willingly entered the tournament. Harry thanked them, adding if he could he would give each of them a share of the money. Instead he said he would be donating it to charity.

Harry left the Great Hall with his friends and was joined by Sirius at the door. Because exams had finished the previous day all students had free time so the group decided to sit by the lake. They had only been there a few minutes when Daphne nudged Harry and pointed to the castle entrance. They saw Draco Malfoy heading directly towards them and all took out their wands.

Draco continued approaching them, his hands at his sides. He stopped a few metres from them; held his hands palm towards them and began speaking.

"Father has asked me to deliver a message to you, Harry. He has told me that it is my duty to ensure no harm comes to you for the remainder of the school year. I have already told Crabbe and Goyle they are not to approach you or speak to you lest they incur father's wrath. Also, Sirius, I would suggest you ask Kreacher to come to Hogwarts and protect Harry. Kreacher should remain in the dormitory at night while you and the others should remain with Harry during the day."

"Why are you so concerned about me?" Harry asked.

"I cannot say. Ask Professor Snape if you want more information," Draco relied before leaving.

"Do you trust him?" Tracey asked.

"I'm not sure," Sirius replied. "I think I will ask Snape."

They headed to Snape's office where Sirius knocked on the door. After letting them in Snape began, "I know why you are here. Draco has already spoken to me. I cannot say why you should trust what he says but I do know the Dark Lord wants to kill Potter personally. I think you should be safe for the remainder of the term so long as you do not leave the grounds."

"I would like to place extra security inside Harry's dormitory," Sirius said. "Draco has already suggested using Kreacher but I want someone else there as well."

"If you must," Snape replied wearily. "By the way Karkaroff did not return to the Dark Lord last night. The Dark Lord wants him dead in preference to any other moves by his followers. Is there anything else?"

"No. Thank you." Sirius said.

The remainder of the term passed without incident, although Harry noticed during Dumbledore's end-of-year address that he seemed uncertain whether the Ministry of Magic believed that Voldemort had returned or not.

The next morning after breakfast Harry and his fellow students caught the train back to King's Cross. The journey was uneventful with nobody approaching Harry or any of the others in his group.

At King's Cross station the Dursleys were waiting for him but, before Harry joined them Sirius and Remus approached them.

"Just to remind you," Sirius said in a pleasant sounding voice, I and a number of others will be keeping tabs on Harry. We expect you will treat him with respect and not use him as slave labour. Incidentally, Harry now has a wizarding version of the mobile phone and, if we don't hear from him regularly we will come to check things out."

Vernon eyed Sirius nervously before turning to Harry. "Come along boy. Let's get out of here." Vernon hurried Harry to the car and loaded his trunk in the boot before driving off as quickly as possible.


	27. 27 Sirius

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Companion Stories: 4.1: Sirius**

 **Author's Note:** This chapter was originally published as Chapter 11 of Harry Slithers-in: Companion series. I have decided to discontinue this story and will be transferring the Companion Series chapters to the appropriate years of the regular stories.

Sirius Black had tried his best to return to his old job with the Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic but his 10 years in Azkaban had taken a significant toll on him. He was jumpy, nervous and seemed at times to struggle with some of the more complex tasks Aurors were required to undertake. Even having Nymphadora Tonks, the daughter of his favourite cousin, alongside him in the programme hadn't helped, she was a very capable student and would certainly be graduating from the training programme soon but she was clumsy and every time she tripped on something, an event which happened frequently, Sirius became more nervous.

Towards the end of June Sirius was called to Madam Bones' office. "Take a seat, Mr. Black," she said.

Sirius sat down before saying, "I think I know why you've asked me to come in here. I know things haven't been going too well in my rehabilitation programme."

"That is true," Madam Bones replied. "I know you were once a very promising auror trainee but clearly the time you spent in Azkaban has affected you. You seem nervous and jumpy; not exactly the qualities we require for the position. I was wondering if you have any alternative plans should you not make the grade, so to speak."

"I suppose I could go into business for myself. I do have enough money now to not need to work, though, so that might be an option. Find something I can invest in and take it easy."

"Those sound like reasonable options. You have obviously thought about this. From your recent results I believe it may be in your best interests to withdraw from the auror programme. The Ministry has a number of alternative roles that may suit you, however." Madam Bones opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a number of brochures which she handed to Sirius. "Before you make your final decision I would like you to look through these. If you find something that interests you I will happily refer you to the appropriate department with a recommendation that your application be looked upon favourably."

"Thank you, Madam Bones," Sirius said. "I will look them over and talk to a few people I trust. If I do find one that interests me how soon will I be able to speak to the Head of that Department?"

"It won't be until after the World Cup," she replied. "As you know we are flat out at the moment with arrangements and that will remain so until after the final. You will still be paid up until that point, however, out of this Department's funds."

Sirius didn't need the money but the extra Galleons would be handy. He thanked Madam Bones again and returned to his desk where he collected the few items he had brought with him, including the sheaf of tickets for the World Cup Final he had been given as part of the settlement and, after saying goodbye to Tonks and a few others, headed back to Grimmauld Place.

Sirius had not forgotten the promise he made to Harry. The first day he arrived at 4 Privet Drive he learnt that Harry had not told the Dursleys he would be coming.

When Sirius entered Vernon jumped up with a shout and Petunia shrieked, "You, you're a murderer." Dudley looked shocked at his parents' reactions.

"No I'm not," Sirius replied, amused. "Harry obviously didn't tell you I was cleared of all charges at my trial in February."

"It must have slipped my mind," Harry said, trying to hide his amusement.

"Go to your room," Vernon bellowed then, after looking at Sirius, he added "after you've eaten."

"May I take it with me?" Harry asked. "That way Sirius won't have to join us."

"Good idea. Go," Vernon replied. Petunia and Dudley seemed too shocked to speak.

Sirius found this exchange amusing. In Harry's room they talked about how the Dursleys treated him and Harry thanked Sirius for the food parcels. Sirius could now see Harry hadn't been exaggerating when he claimed he wasn't getting enough food.

On Harry's birthday Sirius had arrived as scheduled and taken him to 12 Grimmauld Place, the Black family's ancestral home which Sirius had inherited while in Azkaban. Sirius had a number of house guests, notably Tonks and Draco Malfoy. The young Malfoy apparently wanted a break from his family and Sirius had agreed to let him stay a while. Also living there at the time was Remus Lupin. After leaving his position at Hogwarts Remus had been left with nowhere to stay so Sirius had invited him to stay as long as he needed to.

Remus and Draco knew about the mirror phone idea he and Harry had come up with. Draco wanted to finance it as his first step into commercial business while Remus had been invaluable in helping develop them.

Sirius left to bring more people along to Harry's birthday party. Since he was Secret Keeper for Grimmauld Place he had to either bring them personally or pass a handwritten note for them to read. It was easier for him get them since, this way, nobody could accidentally drop the note for some random person to find.

At the party Kreacher showed his lack of respect for Sirius. Draco, in fact, had more control over the elf than anyone else. Sirius knew this was a problem but didn't know how to solve it.

The solution came in an unexpected way. Shortly before they were to leave for the World Cup Harry showed Sirius a locket he had found. The locket was clearly Salazar Slytherin's personal locket and was hugely valuable but Harry told him it seemed cursed. The discussion that followed showed Kreacher knew about it and that Sirius' brother Regulus had told Kreacher to destroy it days before his own death. Harry had an idea for how to destroy it. Apparently a similar item, a diary, had been found at Hogwarts a little over a year earlier and Harry had received the same reaction from that as he had gotten from the locket. It was Harry's offer to help Kreacher destroy the locket that finally won him over.

Harry had a basilisk fang in his trunk; a souvenir from the expedition to the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts; a secret room that Salazar Slytherin had built without the knowledge of the other founders. He retrieved this and gave it to Kreacher with instructions to stab the locket once Harry had opened it. Since then Kreacher had been totally loyal not only to Sirius but to Harry as well.

At the World Cup the Bulgarians had brought Veela as their mascots. Sirius realised this straight away and managed to resist them powerful charm magic but many of the younger males weren't so lucky. Harry seemed especially entranced by them but before Sirius could intervene Tracey Davis had grabbed his arm and slapped him. Sirius tried not to laugh at the look on Harry's face.

The World Cup Final was an exciting match with Ireland winning despite Viktor Krum catching the snitch for Bulgaria. At the presentations afterward it was obvious the Irish seeker, Lynch, had suffered a severe concussion while Krum had a broken nose. Both players would need treatment for their injuries.

After the match a riot broke out in the campgrounds. Sirius joined the Ministry staff in trying to control the situation but then the Dark Mark appeared over the nearby forest. Sirius, along with many Ministry staff including Janet Davis and Arthur Weasley, apparated directly to the scene but all they found were two terrified teenagers; Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.

"Ron, tell us what happened," Mr. Weasley asked.

"The Dark Mark came from over there," Ron replied, pointing into some nearby trees.

Several Ministry officials hurried off to look but most remained where they were, including a man who now addressed Harry and the others. "Which one of you did it?" he demanded.

"Barty," Mrs. Davis said. "These are children, and they've told us where they think the spell came from."

A man called from a short distance away. "We got him. There's someone here but… blimey it's an elf."

A man Sirius knew to be Amos Diggory entered the clearing carrying a house elf. He placed it on the ground. Immediately, Hermione said, "We heard a human voice, not an elf's, and certainly not a female elf."

Mr. Crouch looked at the elf in shock. "No, it cannot be," he said before dashing off to look where they had found her.

"Well, that's embarrassing isn't it," Sirius said. "The man who sent me to Azkaban without a trial now finds himself in potentially the same boat."

"What do you mean?" Ron asked. By now he, along with Hermione, were sitting on the ground.

"This is Barty Crouch's house elf, Winky, and she is accused of casting the Dark Mark," Sirius explained.

"Don't be silly," Hermione said. "To cast the spell you need a wand."

"She had a wand," Mr. Diggory said, still glaring at the unconscious elf. He produced a wand to show the others just as Crouch re-entered the clearing, a look of shock and anger on his face.

"Find anyone, Barty?" asked one of the others.

"No. It must have been her."

"Can anyone prove she cast the spell? I am well aware how much damage baseless accusations can do to innocent people," said Mr. Weasley eyeing Sirius as he spoke.

"We can check the wand," Mr. Diggory said. He touched his own wand to one on the ground and said "Priori Incantatem," a much smaller reflection of the Mark hanging in the air above them emerged from the wand.

"That only proves the wand cast the spell, not who was holding it," Sirius said.

"Hey, that's my wand," Ron suddenly said.

"You did this," shouted Crouch, pointing his wand at Ron.

"Don't be ridiculous," Sirius yelled. "We already know the spell was cast from over there." He pointed in the direction Winky was brought in from. "Remember what happened the last time you falsely accused someone of something they didn't do?"

"Are you threatening me, Black?" Crouch yelled back.

"Yes I am," Sirius replied. "I'm threatening to have you arrested…"

"ENOUGH," Mr. Weasley shouted over Sirius. "Both of you, calm down."

Everybody quietened down. One of the Ministry officials revived Winky who sat up, looking scared.

Just then Madam Bones and Ludo Bagman apparated into the clearing. Bagman appeared very flustered.

"I have just been informed the Dark Mark has been cast from this location. Tell me what has happened," Madam Bones demanded.

"We caught a suspect," Crouch informed her, pointing at Ron.

"A child?" she sounded incredulous.

"Don't be ridiculous, we know it wasn't Ron or Hermione, either," Mr. Weasley said.

"Whoever cast the spell used Ron's wand and then disapparated before we got here, leaving the wand behind," Sirius explained.

"What about the elf?" Madam Bones asked, pointing to Winky.

"We found her with the wand," Sirius said. "Just a case of wrong place, wrong time I think."

"Very well. We will start a full enquiry. For now let's get all the families reunited. Arthur, since this is your son I will leave you in charge here while the rest of you get going," Madam Bones said.

"Sirius, we saw Harry back there with Tracey and her brother. They were safe and asked us if we would join them, but Draco Malfoy was there too so we didn't stay," Hermione explained as she and Ron stood up and joined Mr. Weasley.

After these events Sirius was asked to stay on at the Ministry until the World Cup fiasco had been sorted. Two weeks later the hype had died down and no new evidence had come to light so he was released. This allowed him to get back to work trying to perfect the mirror phones.

Harry, along with Tracey and Robert Davis had stayed at Grimmauld Place for the rest of the holidays. On the day they went to Diagon Alley to get their school supplies they had been joined by the Greengrass family and Mrs. Greengrass had helped them sort their new dress robes, something Sirius was very happy about since he hated clothes shopping.

From then on Sirius split his time between working on the mirrors and keeping up with Harry's school record. During the first week Harry called him asking about Mad-Eye Moody, the new DADA teacher. Sirius explained about Moody's history and why he seemed to hate Draco especially. Harry also mentioned Moody had demonstrated the Unforgivable Curses. Although Sirius didn't let on this news made him feel uncomfortable.

Worse was to come, however. Somehow Harry's name was drawn out of the Goblet of Fire forcing him to compete in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Sirius decided he needed to keep a closer eye on things and, after arguing with Dumbledore about Harry being forced to compete, he asked if he could stay at Hogwarts so as to keep a closer eye on things. He was granted one of the guest rooms usually reserved for visiting dignitaries in the staff dormitory from which he would be in a much better position to support Harry.

Together with Harry and Tracey they came up with a strategy which should give Harry the best possible chance of survival in the first task, which was getting past a dragon, but Sirius was still unhappy. He wished Harry the best, however, and told he would be there watching the whole time.


	28. 28 Tracey

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in: Companion Stories: Chapter 12: Tracey**

Tracey had been unhappy when she learnt Harry was, once again, being mistreated by his relatives. Luckily this time they had Sirius Black on their side and it only took one visit from him to the Dursleys to put things right. Although she still didn't entirely trust Black – he had, after all, spent more than a week spying on her and Harry over Christmas and clearly knew she was sleeping in his room; a fact that made her feel uncomfortable and embarrassed – he was clearly a fair and reasonable person who had been badly mistreated by a system that had failed miserably and she felt he deserved some leeway and was worthy of a fair chance.

After helping Harry, Sirius had asked Tracey's mother if they would like to go to the Quidditch World Cup with him. The offer had been accepted and they decided Harry should stay at Sirius' house after the cup. In fact Sirius picked Harry up on his birthday even though Draco Malfoy was staying there as well. While there Harry, along with Sirius and Professor Lupin began working on a new project. Draco signed on as well and Tracey was invited to join in a money-making scheme that attempted to combine muggle technology with magic to produce a new form of communication – talking mirrors. These worked on the same principle as mobile phones which the muggles had been using for several years.

Tracey, her mother and brother arrived at the World Cup separately from Harry and Sirius. When they arrived the tent was already up and the tea had already been brewed. After finishing her drink Tracey joined Harry in a walk around the campsite. The first person they met was Draco Malfoy and they stayed with him until Draco's parents returned bringing Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, with them. Fudge asked where Sirius was and they took him back to their tent.

After her mother returned Tracey, Harry and Draco set off alone around the campsite. They met several fellow students and bought a number of souvenirs from various official and unofficial sellers as they went. After meeting Marcus Flint, the former Slytherin Quidditch captain, who was now playing professionally they decided to return to their tents as the stadium was due to open shortly.

Fudge led them through the crowds to the top box where Tracey was surprised to find the Weasley family already present. Draco "accidentally" clipped Ron over the head but luckily nothing else happened to cause a scene.

Mr. Weasley introduced his two oldest sons and briefly described their jobs, a topic Tracey found moderately interesting but which Harry appeared to find fascinating.

Next to arrive were the Bulgarian delegation and, soon after, Ludo Bagman who would be commentating the match. Bagman introduced the mascots and Tracey was amused to see Ron Weasley stuffing his pockets with leprechaun gold, obviously not realising it would soon vanish. She was somewhat less amused to see Harry climb onto the edge of the box when the Bulgarian mascots, a swarm of Veela, were performing their dance. She grabbed Harry's arm and then slapped him to bring him back to his senses.

The match was exciting to watch and Tracey was amazed by the skill and speed of the players, although the fact both seekers required medical treatment for serious looking injuries made her glad she didn't play herself. At this point Fudge was made to look a fool when the Bulgarians revealed they could, in fact, speak English. Tracey found this amusing.

Ireland won much to the delight of their supporters and all the after-match presentations to the players were made in the Top Box where they were sitting.

They discussed the match long into the evening, particularly the ending when Viktor Krum caught the snitch for Bulgaria even though they were 160 points behind meaning Ireland won without catching it; an unusual outcome.

Back in the tent Mrs. Davis decided to invest in the mirror phones but their discussion was cut short by a riot. Tracey, Robert and Harry were instructed to find a place to hide while the adults went to try and sort it out. After entering some nearby woods they run into Draco and decided to stay with him. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger also arrived but decided to leave rather than stay near Draco.

Soon after the Dark Mark appeared in the sky near where they were standing. They briefly discussed this while awaiting developments.

Soon they were joined by a couple of lost children. Tracey invited them to stay until they knew what was happening.

When Mrs. Davis arrived with Sirius she took the other children with her to reunite them with their family while Sirius escorted their group back to the tent.

When she returned it was decided Tracey and Robert should stay at Sirius' for the rest of the holidays. Tracey was surprised to learn Sirius' house elf, Kreacher, now took orders from Harry but he was evasive about explaining why.

After a quick breakfast at Sirius' the next morning Tracey went to the guest room she would be staying in. Although she didn't feel tired she went to bed and was surprised to find it was nearly 4pm when she woke up.

For the shopping trip to Diagon Alley they were joined by the Greengrass family. They stopped at Madam Malkin's for dress robes where Tracey chose a bright pink fabric that was made into a cocktail dress style. She was very happy with them and Harry seemed to approve as well.

The train ride to Hogwarts saw them travel through one of the worst storms Tracey could remember. Even during the short trip to the station from Grimmauld Place they had gotten wet and it was no different when they reached Hogsmeade. They were happy, however, the carriages had a roof meaning they didn't get soaked like the 1st years' would on their journey in open boats.

At the welcoming feast Professor Dumbledore announced the new DADA teacher would be Professor Moody. Tracey recognised the name: Mad Eye Moody as he was commonly known had been an Auror who had been prominent during the First Wizarding War and, although now retired, he was still a formidable person. Draco Malfoy recognised the name too. He seemed almost afraid.

The rest of Dumbledore's speech was just as unexpected. Quidditch was cancelled and, instead, Hogwarts would be hosting the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

The first week of term saw Professor Moody show he really didn't like Draco Malfoy. He turned Malfoy into a ferret when Malfoy tried picking a fight with Ron Weasley while, during their first DADA lesson, he asked the class to name the Unforgivable Curses – asking Draco for one them even though he hadn't put his hand up.

A mirror call to Sirius produced a lot of useful information about Moody's motivations. They also learnt that the Headmaster of Durmstrang, one of the schools competing in the Tri-Wizard Tournament was a former Death-eater. Tracey was delighted to learn the reason for the formal robes was there would be a ball at Christmas. Harry looked horrified which made her even happier.

The Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students arrived on the 30th of October. They were all surprised to discover Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian seeker from the World Cup was in the Durmstrang delegation.

The next evening saw the announcement of the champions. Tracey, along with almost everybody in the room, was shocked when Harry's name was drawn out as a 4th champion. The students were dismissed after Harry had joined the other champions and sent back to their Common room. There, several older students immediately started planning a party for Harry. Tracey, however, decided to go to Harry's and wait for him there while calling Sirius over the mirror phone. As she had hoped Harry came in alone and she immediately confronted him.

"Did you put your name in the Goblet?" Tracey demanded.

"No," he replied, looking confused.

"Did you ask somebody else to do it for you?"

"No. I don't know how my name got in there. I don't even want to compete." She could tell Harry was very nervous.

Tracey stared into his face for several seconds before releasing his wrists and wrapping her arms around him. "I believe you," she said before kissing him squarely on the lips.

Harry wrapped his arms around her and tried to relax.

"Get a room, you two." Harry and Tracey were startled by Draco's voice and quickly pulled apart.

"I was just telling Harry I believed him when he said he didn't put his name in the Goblet," Tracey said while glaring at Draco and the rest of the 4th year boys who were all standing behind him.

"Whatever," Draco said as he pushed past them. "Just so long as we don't have to cheer for some dumb Hufflepuff as our champion we're happy. Potter, you have the full backing of everyone in Slytherin. Now, if you don't mind, Davis, we would like to go to bed."

Tracey led Harry out of the dormitory. "You need to call Sirius now," she said when they were alone. "I've already spoken to him and he's not happy."

Tracey returned to her own dormitory where she told the other girls she was certain Harry had not put his name in the Goblet.

In the lead-up to the first task she tried to help Harry plan a strategy. She was surprised when Professor Moody suggested Harry go for a relaxing flight around the grounds, emphasising certain places he might find interesting. She found out why when Harry informed her there were dragons, one for each champion, and the task involved getting past them.

The strategy they worked out, along with input from some other students, worked brilliantly. So well, in fact, Harry was comfortably leading after the 1st task.

The Yule Ball gave Tracey her first chance to have a proper dinner and dance with Harry. **B** efore that, however, she had to teach him how to dance. Luckily Harry learned quickly and the Ball went off well.

Later, at Greengrass Manor, they were able to dance together again. It was here that they solved the clue for the second task and began working on a strategy for it.

It was while training for the second task the truth was revealed when they saw Barty Crouch's name on the Marauder's Map while they were helping Luna Lovegood, a 3rd year Ravenclaw, recover and dry her clothes which had been thrown into the lake.

"Hold on," Harry said while they were escorting Luna to the hospital wing, "Crouch is leaving." He had just seen Crouch's dot reach the top of the stairs above the Entrance Hall.

They decided to wait until he had gone but, in fact, Crouch opened the door in front of them. Only it wasn't Bartemius Crouch who was standing there; it was Professor Moody.

"Hello Potter, Miss Davis, Miss Lovegood. Out for a night-time stroll?"

"Tracey and I were going to work on the egg clue when we found Luna here," Harry explained. "Apparently, somebody thought it would be funny to throw all her clothes in the lake so we were helping her dry them."

"That true, Miss Lovegood?"

"My clothes were all here so I had to come and get them," Luna replied in her usual dreamy voice.

I think I better take you to the hospital wing," Moody said. "This is a serious case of bullying. Thank you for highlighting this for me you two, and you can each take 20 points for assisting a fellow student in need. Carry on with your egg clue while I take care of Miss Lovegood. Come along."

After telling Sirius what they had learnt he made enquiries at the Ministry of Magic. This led to the discovery that Barty Crouch junior was alive and impersonating Professor Moody which in turn led to the arrest of Barty Crouch senior for several serious charges.

Even though the full story was now out in the open Harry was still required to finish the Tri-Wizard Tournament. For the second task Tracey was the person he had to rescue from the Merpeople. This done it was discovered that Rita Skeeter was an unregistered animagus who could turn into a beetle. She was arrested at the end of the task thanks, once again, to Sirius Black.

From then until the day of the third task very little of note happened other than Harry telling everybody the Quidditch pitch had been turned into a maze. The third task would be held there and the maze would then be removed in time for the new school year. It was a simple speed test, although there would be other features to overcome along the way; including some of Hagrid's "pets."

The day of task arrived. Harry had a good head-start and Tracey hoped it would be over quickly. The first thing of note was when red sparks, the sign a champion needed rescuing, appearing over the maze. Sirius went to assist but soon called for backup. It was then discovered that 3 of the champions were out of the running. Harry, as the sole remaining champion, had won the cup but had apparently decided to continue even though he didn't need to. Tracey wondered why.

Soon after Sirius received a call on his mirror phone. After talking for a moment he handed the phone to Dumbledore and suddenly attacked Ludo Bagman. There were several moments of chaos before Dumbledore regained control of the situation. Once order was restored he addressed the crowd.

"Attention," he began. "I have just been informed that the real Ludo Bagman is at home and the person sitting here with the judges is an imposter presumably using Polyjuice potion. Mr. Black's action are justified and were performed with the approval of Madam Bones, head of the DMLE. A squad of aurors are on their way here to take the imposter into custody. For the moment can everybody please remain where they are."

Tracey didn't know what to think. Harry was probably in danger but she hoped Sirius and the staff had it under control, although this latest revelation meant she was less than certain Harry was safe.

Madam Umbridge stated she needed to return to the Ministry to talk to Cornelius Fudge about this occurrence. Dumbledore then apparently told her something privately which prompted her to hurry away as fast as she could.

More confusion followed when Igor Karkaroff, the Headmaster of Durmstrang, suddenly excused himself and hurried from the stadium. Then Snape had a word with Dumbledore who nodded in agreement with whatever Snape had said.

Dumbledore asked Tracey to accompany himself, Madame Maxime and the three champions. He explained Tracey was a nurses' aide and would be able to help Madam Pomfrey treating the injured students while he himself would be meeting the aurors. Dumbledore then levitated Bagman and hurried to his office where he was to meet the aurors. Tracey's mother also joined them in the hospital.

Sirius brought Harry to the hospital wing some time later, sparking an urgent request from Madame Maxime. "M. Potter, what happened in the maze?"

"I think that can wait," Mrs. Davis said. "The Ministry of Magic has all the facts and I assume Harry has added anything he can. I suggest we wait until Dumbledore has finished sorting things out with them."

"Quite right," Madam Pomfrey said, shoving Sirius aside so she could tend to Harry. "Snape's work, I take it?" She indicated the marks left over from where Snape had healed Harry's wounds.

"Yeah," Harry said. "Where's Professor Karkaroff?"

"We think he's done a runner straight back to You-Know-Who," Tracey said. "Harry? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"I will decide that," Madam Pomfrey said as she gave Harry a quick check-up before applying Dittany to the scars.

Once Madam Pomfrey had finished she allowed the others a few more minutes so Harry could explain what happened after the battle in the maze. As soon as he had finished she ordered everybody other than the champions to leave. She separated them so there was at least one empty bed between each patient before giving each a sleeping draught.

The presentation for the prize for winning the Tri-Wizard Tournament was made the following morning. Tracey now knew everything and, although relieved, she was worried about the future. Now that Voldemort was back there was a real and present danger. Even though Harry was now being guarded by Kreacher while he slept she was still afraid something might happen to him and she couldn't wait for the end of the year when he would be away from Hogwarts and the possible danger he faced from the three Death-eaters' sons he shared a dormitory with.

The end of the year came, however, with no incidents. Apparently Voldemort had given strict orders that Harry was not to be harmed. Draco had even taken personal responsibility for Harry's safety. Tracey doubted his motives but at least he had kept his word on this.


End file.
